From The Inside
by Jamaican Princess Rocquellan
Summary: At 19 Akihito doesn't have a mate yet, and wonders who it is when he keeps going into heat without finding out who his setting him off. Asami/Akihito, Kirishima, Suoh, Kou, Takato, Oc. Alpha/beta/omega dynamics, AU, Unresolved Sexual Tension (UST), possessive behaviour, mpreg, depression, manipulations, psychological, non/dub con.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, after reading many fictions for the supernatural fandom using this trope, I decided to give it a try for the Finder Series. If I screw anything up please don't be afraid to point it out, I'm trying this for the first time after all. Feedback would be appreciated, thanks!**

**Warning: Non/dub con, psychological.**

Akihito startled awake from another flair of pain, breathing hard and sweating as he bolted upright in bed, willing away the intense heat and discomfort that washed over him and settled in his gut. He groaned at the wetness that leaked from his ass on to the bed, a testament to his omega heritage. He was in heat and even at 19 years old, he had not met his alpha mate yet. Lot's of other alphas had come close, their scents attracting him to them but there was always something missing; he didn't feel the need to knot and felt even less inclined to breed. He knew he wouldn't be completely satisfied, so he didn't go that route.

…Not that he'd never taken up a few offers from interested alphas, but definitely not often.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he made his way across the room where his heat suppressants laid in a drawer. The suppressants were made for omegas who wanted to go on living their lives without an alpha, especially those who wanted to leave abusive relationships or those that just didn't find theirs like him (as rare as that was!). The heat could sometimes be so painful an omega ended up in the hospital. He took two of the soft gels and just stood there, leaning against the wall as the need to mate overwhelmed him. He didn't want to attempt masturbation either, because in the context of heat that might make things worse. If his mate couldn't satisfy him in those times, hardly anything could. His head throbbed with desire and his ass with need as he kept self lubricating. His pulse raced until a few minutes later when the pills started kicking in and everything slowed. He breathed a sigh of relief, gave himself a little self gratification in that moment and then proceeded to clean up himself and his soiled bed, wondering when he'll ever meet his one true mate, the man that would appease his body and his mind completely.

*******VF*******

"Hey Aki, over here!"

Akihito entered a bar a few blocks from where he lived later in the evening, meeting his friends for a few drinks. This was a safe haven for them, an omega/beta friendly bar with a huge sign out front that no alphas were allowed. Alphas tended to cause a scene when surrounded by omegas who they want to exert dominance over once that omega was present, alone or not. Huge fights even broke out once an omega was in heat. There was none of that here and he walked over to his beta friend, Takato, when he waved him over. "Hi guys."

"Hey." Kou, an omega like himself, held his beer bottle up to him in a salute as he sat down.

Takato sat back down and waved at the bartender before pointing at the beers. The man nodded and went to get a few more.

"So Aki, we haven't seen you in a week, what's been happening?" Takato asked.

Betas like Takato were below alphas but above omegas. They had better control over their mating cycles and had the freedom to choose a mate, unlike omegas who had to stick to whomever their body was compatible with, man or woman. Omegas exuded pheromones that attract only a certain alpha most times who would become their mate for life. There were even laws in some prefectures that dissuaded omega/omega relationships, because studies have shown that these unions were more likely to produce omega offsprings. This was a concern for places with a high percentage of omega dwellers though. The reverse was true for cities with majority of the population being alphas, especially since citizens were dissuaded from leaving their cities and towns unless strictly necessary. Betas got a free pass for being able to fit into either role when put into the simple term of things.

The thing was, mostly women became omegas, which had a lot to do with their genetic makeup. It wasn't necessarily rare for a man to be an omega, but it was a mostly female predominant trait. Likewise for a female alpha; rare but not unheard of. So of course, the bar was packed with a ratio of ¾ being female.

"I was working." It was a half truth, because his heat normally lasted two weeks and even though the suppressants help curb the symptoms, it wasn't a cure. The first two days were always the worst of the symptoms, even with the hormonal drugs.

Both his friends nodded in understanding.

"You weren't doing anything too dangerous again, were you?" Takato raised an eyebrow before taking a sip from his own beer.

Before answering, Akihito grabbed one of three of the chilled beer bottles placed on their table, thanking the waiter. He looked at Takato. "No, just photo coverage of an event downtown."

"Speaking of Downtown, did you guys hear about the omega/beta trade ring busted by the cops last night in an old building by the quarry?"

Both Akihito and Takato nodded.

"Those men are sick, selling Omegas and betas to perverted alphas for money." Takato made a disgusted face at the thought and Akihito agreed wholeheartedly. It was always a sore topic for him how because of their status omegas weren't treated fairly by society.

"Yeah, well, if they gave the alpha perpetrators more than a slap on the wrist for doing it I'm sure more would hesitate."

Takato and Kou agreed.

"Yeah, let's start kidnapping and selling alphas and see how that goes," Takato snarked.

Akihito almost snorted his beer through his nose. "Oh God, that plan would never see the light of day. The conservatives would have a heart attack if – and I quote- 'The born leaders of our modern society' are harmed in any way, shape or form."

"Yeah, there's a law for them and a law for the rest of us," Kou said lowly.

Akihito felt bad for Kou, because his experiences being discriminated against affected him really badly. "This is depressing, let's change the subject."

They found other topics of interest to discuss, including politics and even shopping while still drinking beer. When the topic of Takato's omega girlfriend came up, they teased him unto they drifted off into teasing Akihito for being the country's first ever A-sexual omega, which was deemed a next to impossible feat considering their sexual natures. Akihito only laughed them off before diverting the conversation to anther topic; video games.

By the time an hour had come and gone, they were all slightly buzzed and warm. Akihito felt a pull on his bladder and decided he wanted to use the bathroom. Excusing himself, he made his way to the back where he started doing his business. A few men were there for the same purpose and he paid them no mind.

Akihito was washing his hands when he caught a whiff of something, something earthy and musky and sweet/tangy. A wave of heat so intense washed over him he almost fell to his knees. His vision blanked for a second, his mind reeled and his body coiled tight with lust it was almost painful.

"Oh god, oh god," he moaned as he grabbed his dick, which hardened to a state it felt it wanted to break right off. His ass was producing enough slick to fill a bucket and he knew his mate was near, he knew it because the heat was the most intense it had ever felt since he turned 16 and had the first one. It almost felt like a physical pull, the need to be fucked and knotted by the only one for him but it felt too much, so overwhelming and he could barely move, barely register anything but the heat and the pull and the hand he had around his middle and groin.

"Hey, hey, you in heat?" An unknown voice asked and Akihito looked up into the face of a strange middle aged man kneeling before him who seemed concerned. He swallowed thickly before nodding slightly, blinking back the tears that wanted to fall from his eyes.

The man reached into a small pouch slung across his shoulder. "Here, I have suppressants, strong doses, maybe they'll help."

"T-thanks." Akihito took the offered pills and swallowed them dry, hoping that they would work soon. Breathing harshly, he fell on his ass and leaned against the closest wall, willing his heartbeat to slow and his body to cool down. He had his eyes closed, until the man spoke again.

"Will you be alright?"

Already, Akihito could feel his body reacting to the drug and he knew these were stronger than his own doses; His wouldn't have started kicking in until a few minutes. "I will, thanks."

"I guess your alpha is here then, isn't he? Why don't you find him and let him take some of the edge off?"

Akihito didn't respond, except to slowly push himself to his feet. He didn't want to explain that he had no idea who his alpha was. He vaguely wondered if the man was here, inside the bar but knew he needed to get cleaned up before going back out, the seat of his jeans was soaked with slick and his skin clammy. The man didn't react to his silence and he was glad for that.

"They sell clothes in the store next door and there's a bathroom in the corner over there if you want."

The man pointed to a closed stall twice the size of the others and Akihito stumbled towards it, getting out his phone in the same breath. "I'll call my friends for help, thanks again."

The man nodded, then walked away while Akihito put his cell phone to his ears. He dialed Takato and told him to come with Kou to the bathroom quickly. When his friends arrived, looking at him wide-eyed, he groaned before rubbing a hand over his face.

"Aki, what the hell happened to you?" Takato asked worriedly. Kou mirrored his concern.

"Nothing, I'm fine now." Akihito swallowed thickly before handing Kou some notes. "Get me a new pair of jeans and underwear from the store next door."

"Alright." Kou took the money and scampered off.

Akihito went into the shower stall with Takato and shut the door behind them. Takato started unbuttoning his shirt and he kept his gaze firmly to the side, feeling a little embarrassed.

"You went into heat, didn't you?"

Akihito sighed. "I don't know what happened…I think…I felt my mate."

Takato's hand stilled and his eyes widened. "Seriously? After all this time?"

Akihito nodded solemnly. He didn't know how he felt about it after all this time either. All he knew is that it hurt badly and he never wanted to go through that again.

"Well, where is the mystery man then?" Takato poked his head out the stall door and peered around before pulling his head back in, frowning.

"I don't know." Akihito sighed. He gave his shirt to Takato before stepping out of his underwear and pants, then slipping into a pair of plastic slippers that sat conveniently under the tap.

Takato blushed as he took in his friend's body, always admiring how toned he was. Akihito was never a submissive omega, even though it's in their nature. He watched his friend go head to head in arguments with alphas and betas who thought that he shouldn't be head-strong because of his status, and marveled at his unwillingness to back down, even while admitting defeat. Akihito is the type of omega most other omegas dream to be. Besides, he couldn't be a photojournalist otherwise, which was a predominantly alpha field. The omegas normally do paperwork, Akihito was one of the few out on the field at the moment. Akihito also swore he wouldn't settle down and become a breeding machine for his alpha once he found him, and if his alpha couldn't compromise to meet his needs, then he'll keep taking the suppressants which also lowered his HCG level, making it difficult for him to breed.

As the water jets down and cascade over Akihito's body, Takato just stands there mesmerized, until Kou comes barging in with a shout.

"Hey guys, got it!"

Takato lets Kou in with a branded bag with the clothes and they both wait on Akihito to finish before watching him redress.

When they're done, Akihito stuffed his soiled clothes in the bag and heads out, intent on taking it home to wash.

"Do you guys wanna stay here?" Kou asked.

Akihito shook his head. "No, I want to go back to the apartment and rest."

His friends were about to follow him out when Akihito stopped by the door and looked at the bouncer curiously. "Excuse me, was there an alpha trying to get in here earlier?"

The burly man shook his head. "No."

Nodding, Akihito left the bar and headed straight for home. Nothing was available at the moment anyway in terms of work and he just wanted to rest some more and get over what had just happened.

*******VF*******

That night, Akihito was plagued by the scent of the man that made him feel so out of control and wanton. It was a deep mystery that left him aching in a way he never had before, like getting a small taste and wanting…_craving_ so much more. He touched himself while he fantasized about what type of alpha the man would be. Most alphas were successful since they were societies golden children and handsome or pretty. He imagined tall, maybe rugged and very good looking. The eyes would be smoldering and his aura would be commanding, like his favorite movie actor or sports player. His alpha would be a man with a deep sense of justice and security that upheld the law and looked out for others…the perfect combination between right and hot.

Laying in bed and writhing from need, he imagined hands all over him, getting knotted until his insides turned to jello. They would fuck a lot and he found himself salivating from the thought, even while he pumped his hard on into his fist frantically, trying to ebb away the deeply routed flow of desire. He was slick with need and could feel his hole fluttering from wanting to be split open. He might not want to be the typical 'submissive bitch' type of omega, but he was still an omega and the need to get fucked good couldn't be willed away. He moaned as he turned on his knees with his ass in the air and his face buried in the pillow. He sucked a finger into his mouth and found the rim of his entrance, running his finger through the slick before slowly easing it in. He bit his bottom lip as he pumped his hardened shaft faster, dreaming of the man that would complete him in a way only a mate could.

*******VF*******

"Akihito!"

Akihito groaned before rolling out of bed when Takato could be heard calling his name and banging on his door. He still felt sleepy, because to be frank, he didn't get much rest last night, and what little he did get was wet with slick and cum from intense wet dreams. Whoever his mate was, he would have to find him soon before he imploded from the ultimate sexual frustration. His suppressants weren't even working like they should since he took them last night, it barely made him feel comfortable.

"Aki!"

"I'm coming!" He rolled out of bed, pulled the sheets off and tossed them in the hamper in the bathroom before changing out of his sticky underwear. He did a quick wash up before throwing on a t-shirt and pants, then he answered the door.

"Finally." Takato sighed before walking past him into the apartment with a white plastic bag in his hand.

"Morning to you too," Akihito grumbled before closing the door.

Takato flopped on the small couch in the small apartment before answering. "Morning. Anyway, I brought breakfast…" he held up the bag. "And news." At that he took the morning paper out of the bag and threw it at Akihito, who caught it before sitting beside his friend.

"News?" Akihito opened the paper while Takato opened the boxes.

"Yeah. Does the name Asami Ryuichi ring a bell?"

Akihito nodded. Who could forget when one of the biggest underground black market dealers got arrested and charged by the police.

"That guy that's involved in drugs and weapons trafficking and is suspected of bribery and conspiracy to murder? He got away. Apparently, none of the evidence against him held up in court and no witnesses were present at his trial."

Akihito read the front page headline, which had a picture of the courthouse and not the man. "Asami Ryuichi freed of all charges brought against him in the criminal court of justice yesterday…"

"Yeah, after two years in and out of court they decided to drop the charges. So much for justice being served." Takato could barely speak properly with his mouth stuffed with rice balls.

Akihito sat and took in the rest of the article, getting angry at how alpha men like these could get away with so much. If it was an omega, or even a beta, the law would have thrown the book at them with little to no evidence just because they could. It made him so angry when the scales were tipped like this, and he wished men like Asami Ryuichi would get what's due to them, that justice would be served and they'd be rid of them for good off the streets. It's one of the main reasons he fought so hard to be the best despite his status, because men like Asami took his mother from him, who was the only parent he knew. She just disappeared one day when he was 10 and left him with his grandmother. He always thought he wasn't loved, despite his grandmother's reassurances, until he became friends with a senior officer down by the station who investigated and found out his mother was forced into the omega slave trade by a cruel alpha at the time. No-one's heard from, or have been able to trace her since.

The memory makes him tense and he tries his best to not think about it. Speaking of police friends…he decided he would visit Yamaka later on in the evening.

"So, are you going to have some?"

Akihito peered over the edge of the paper at the food Takato was pushing at him and decided he wasn't hungry. "No."

"Your loss." Takato shrugged before wolfing down the rest of the food.

*******VF*******

By later on that evening, Akihito found himself down at the police precinct, wanting to get in touch with his long time friend. A major part of the reason why he decided to see the man now was because he had time. He called the editor's office earlier and there wasn't any work available at the moment.

Yamaka was one of the men who mentored him when he was going through a 'bad boy' phase a few years earlier. He was also his arresting officer and one of the few alphas that didn't want anything sexual from him.

Wearing jeans, t-shirt and a dark brown jacket, he went up to the receptionist desk and asked for the man.

"I'll call his desk, Takaba-san," Cindy offered with a smile.

Akihito smiled back. Cindy has been the precinct receptionist for more than ten years. He watched as she listened into the phone, mentioning his name and then instructing him to go right in. When he entered the detective's office and saw him sitting around a desk writing in an open file, he greeted him enthusiastically with a hug. "How've you been, Yama-sensei?"

"Hey, it's been a while, Takaba. And I've been good."

Yamaka hinted at the chair opposite his around the desk and Akihito took a seat, glancing at the open folder before Yamaka, which had a single photo of a very handsome man with the most piercing golden eyes he'd ever seen. The name at the top read Asami Ryuichi and he was a bit surprised to finally have an idea what the man looked like; the man he had clear disdain for.

Yamaka looked at him with a hint of a smile _after_ closing the folder. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

Akihito shrugged before returning his sole attention to the man. He felt just the tiniest bit embarrassed about wanting to snoop at a time like this. "Nothing much."

"I've seen some of your photojournalist work, you're getting so much better at it." Yamaka chuckled.

Akihito blushed. He was hardly praised for his work genuinely. "Thank you."

Yamaka sat back and laced his fingers together in a relaxed gesture. "I was impressed with your photo of the suspected robber at that jewellery store in Shizuoka. It help lead to an arrest."

Akihito nodded with a smile. "I've also read all about the men you've arrested and taken off the streets."

Yamaka leaned forward in his seat and chuckled. "Yeah, well, I had help."

"Right, where's Hiroshi-san? I haven't seen him in a while."

"On vacation." Yamaka answered, hinting at his partner of five years.

The two of them bantered on for another fifteen minutes before Akihito decided to leave. The visit was just for posterity's sake anyway, he didn't really want anything but to see his long time friend. He stood and shook the man's hand. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Likewise," Yamaka answered and Akihito left, happy to see the man was alive and still kicking.

The twilight breeze was chilly as he stepped outside the station and Akihito pulled his jacket tightly around his middle. He started walking down the street, intent on getting back home so he could go out with his friends again tonight. He promised Takato earlier that he wouldn't hole up in his apartment without finding an alpha to at least take home for the night, and after what had happened at the bar, his body was stilling thrumming with some of the feelings of needing his mate. The thing is, right now he had no idea who his mate was and it kept driving him crazy. Maybe someone else to help take some of the edge off wouldn't hurt.

The last of the sun's rays were disappearing behind the horizon as he walked further away from the precinct. The street wasn't overly busy with people and he was taken by complete surprise when he felt it again, a pull so strong he had to reach out a hand and brace against the nearest wall for support, breathing hard as pain and discomfort from needing to mate attacked him full force. He put a hand to his chest as his heart palpitated, willing the feeling to stop as he leaned his back and head against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing harshly. It was nauseating and most people walked past him without even a cursory glance, but on the other hand he was happy for it, because right now he was so hard it was agonizing. He fumbled for his suppressants and swallowed twice the dose dry, feeling it burn his throat and almost choke him.

Akihito felt weak in the knees and it felt like an eternity when the intensity of his attack started ebbing away. When his vision adjusted to his surrounding once again, he rubbed at his eyes, looking around to see who had set him off, who his mate was. His eyes scanned everybody he could see on his side and across the street, a little excited at the prospect of finally meeting the man meant for him. His mate would be in a similar state as him, in heat, because that was just the nature of things. He looked out for anybody matching his criteria and couldn't see anyone, but he spotted the two men in black suits looking for somebody too, their taller than most people head scanning the crowd as they walked closer to his position.

Somehow he knew, knew that they were looking for him. It was a very strong gut feeling. Besides, they looked like bodyguards for an alpha thug and he didn't want to find out if the yakuza or somebody wanting revenge had him trailed. All he knew was that burly men in black suits were generally bad news, so he straightened his shoulders and tried to ignore his painful need to fuck and made to hurry away.

It was awkward, trying to hurry with your dick stiffer than board and temperature going through the roof, but he tried because this could be a matter of life and death. He risked a cursory glance back, just a slight turn of the head and could see the men had their eyes on him, moving faster to try and catch up.

"Shit." Akihito cursed before taking off at a sprint, brushing past indignant people and almost tripping when he tried to grab the handbag of a woman he almost knocked flat on her ass to help steady her. She made a frightened squeak and he risked a look back and saw that the men were quickly closing in on him. He cursed again before dashing to the side, making a quick decision to try and lose them in the nearest dark alley, not looking back when the woman shouted at him angrily. The adrenaline pumping through his veins negated most of the effect of his heat and he was moving a little faster now, letting his legs do what they did best; running.

"Stop!" One of the unknown men boomed and that only spurred Akihito to move faster, to dodge obstacles quicker and to _getaway getaway getaway_! He moved with the stealth of a panther, even while his lungs burned and sweat threatened to blind him.

The heavy footsteps of the larger men, who he's surprised could be so fast with their size, echoed on the concrete somewhere behind him and when Akihito realized he was coming upon a board fence, he shoved forward with enough momentum to jump right over the 7foot structure. He fell with a roll, on the other side, coughing as the effort burned his lungs immensely, but he kept moving, limping at first because the fall wasn't necessarily gracious. Even a few minutes after he realized he was alone he kept moving, just to be sure. Every part of him hurt as he ended up on a deserted suburban street too far from his own apartment. When he regained his breath, he took out his phone and dialed Kou.

"Hey, can I sleep at your place tonight?...Thanks, I'll see you soon."

No use going back home now in case the men knew where he lived. Finding it in himself to walk with the way his muscles burned, he forced himself to trod down the road towards Kou's apartment.

*******VF*******

"He looks like shit."

Akihito woke up groggily to the sound of Takato's voice. He barely cracked an eye open before closing it quickly against the morning glare with a groan.

"Yeah, he came here last night looking like he got hit by a bus…" Kou said, voice sounding distant and annoying to Akihito's ears.

"Well, he's awake so we should get him up."

Akihito burrowed further into Kou's bed, glad he has it all to himself now and hating the idea of moving.

"Hey, hey, I'm in pain…" Akihito croaked when Takato grabbed his arm and tried to pull.

"Sorry," Takato answered before gently helping him to a sitting position, which caused every muscle in his body to sing with pain and discomfort.

Akihito brushed him off. "Why are you here?"

Kou handed him a cup of tea and Akihito took it gratefully.

Takato straightened and looked at Kou before answering. "Kou called, said you didn't look too good last night when you showed up. What happened?"

Akihito took a sip of his tea before answering, looking at his friends because he knows they won't like his answer. "I was being chased by these men…"

"Who?!" Kou piped up in concern.

Takato's eyes were hard.

"I don't know, and to be honest, I didn't want to find out so I ran."

Takato sighed. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Aki?"

"I don't know…" Akihito answered slowly, tiredly, wishing he could go back to sleep and forget his night.

"Well, be more careful, yeah?" Kou muttered before walking back out of the bedroom crossly.

Akihito looked at Takato and Takato said, "He just worries about you, you're his first real friend after all."

"Yeah. It was most likely something from work."

"That's the problem right there." Takato clapped him on the shoulder before leaving the room too and Akihito watched his friend go. He knew his job was a dangerous one, but it's what he loves and he won't stop doing it for as long as he can.

Sighing again, Akihito put his head back on the pillow and tried to sleep, even as the feeling of his mysterious mate plagued him once again. One thing he knew for certain was that he was bound to meet his mate soon, because these moments of _feeling_ each other meant the man was probably looking for him too.

*******VF*******

"Takaba, I have a job for you!"

"Really, what is it?" Akihito asked excitedly as he talked to his Chief Editor on his cell, the man who gave him work. He hadn't heard from him in a few days and he thinks this call is long overdue. He was sitting around his TV playing his favorite video game.

"Got a tip, Get your ass down here for the details."

"Sure thing." Leaving his videogame behind, Akihito got dressed and left for the editor's office in the heart of Tokyo, taking the train to save him time. When he got to the man's office, he was ushered inside while the short, stocky man shut the door behind him.

"Takaba-san," the man greeted excitedly.

"Hiro-sensei," Akihito returned before taking the offered seat opposite the man after he sat down. He watched as the man laced his fingers together before leaning across the desk conspiratorially.

"Got a tip that a shady politician will be meeting with a yakuza figure tomorrow night at the docks."

"Really? Who's the source?"

The man hesitated. "Huh…this is a very big deal, Takaba-san, I can't reveal the source, this case is very sticky; the less you know the better."

Akihito nodded. He understood, even if something was niggling at the back of his mind about the whole thing. The editor had never let him down though, and besides, the man liked him enough to give him work as often as possible when most discriminated his omega status, so he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Here's the address and time."

Hiro-san handed him a paper and Akihito took it, read it and then crushed the paper before throwing it in the bin by the side of the desk. As a rule, they never say all pertinent information out loud just in case the place was bugged.

"Thanks, I'll be there tomorrow."

"Right. Get me those pictures, Takaba-san, I'm counting on you."

"I will!" Akihito smiled, beaming as he left the office. He was on his way towards the exit when he was bumped into hard enough to land him flat on his ass. Shaking his head, he looked up and glared before gritting out, "Hey, watch where you're going!"

Mitarai smirked down at him. "Oh, haven't seen you in a while, Takaba. Is the chief handing an omega like you scraps again?"

Akihito decided not to rise to the man's bait. Mitarai was a rival photojournalist, an alpha who wanted him to lose his job based on misconduct and there's no way he'll fall for it. He stood, dusted himself off and held his head high as he walked away. He was out in the empty hallway leading to the elevator when he was grabbed from behind and spun around, then shoved into the wall where Mitarai caged him in with both hands planted firmly on said wall beside his head. The man's face was way too close to his and he watched him carefully.

"You're in heat, I can smell it. How about I help you out with that?"

Mitarai had a knee pressed against his groin and Akihito pushed him back with enough force to cause the man to stumble before saying, "Over my dead body."

"Omega bitch." Mitarai snared after regaining his balance and Akihito paid him no heed. When he entered the elevator he turned around and looked at the man watching him with clear disdain while he pushed the button for the ground floor.

"Alpha whore."

*******VF*******

The next night, Akihito sat in an abandoned room in a warehouse that overlooked the road where the two were scheduled to meet by the docks. He wore a cap and sweater and had his favorite camera on a string around his neck, waiting. His knees popped as he stretched them, he'd been hiding out at the location for a few hours now.

It was another few hours, well into the night, when a sleek black car pulled up to the side of the road near the building and stopped, cutting off the headlights. He watched the vehicle as it just sat there, nobody exiting. A few seconds later a black limousine drove up and parked opposite before mirroring the first car. Black cars in the dark night meant less chance of being spotted, but he grinned as he got into place with his camera ready, all for exposing these men.

The first car opened and a middle aged man emerged, his features blurred slightly by the darkness. The only light provided by a light post a few meters away was dim, but luckily enough for a clear shot when he zoomed the lens.

"Gotcha," Akihito whispered as he snapped a picture of the politician, who he now recognized as a member of the executive branch, Tomio Shigeo. He snapped a few more for good measure, pausing when the driver emerged from the limo, a tall, burly man in glasses. When that man opened the right passenger door, a wealthy looking man in a long black overcoat with slick back hair emerged. Unfortunately, that ones face was hidden, so Akihito decided to wait until he could get a clear shot of the other man's face before taking any more pictures.

Through his viewfinder, Akihito could see that the two were conversing. Both men shifted minutely and Akihito could feel it in his gut that he would get that money shot soon. His grin split his face as he thought about all the pocky and ramen he would buy to last him at least the next six months with the payoff he knows he'll get from this.

Watching through the lens of the camera, Akihito didn't miss how the shoulders of the unknown man stiffened suddenly. His gut clenched as he anticipated trouble, only to almost drop the camera when his heat slammed into him hard.

"Shit," Akihito cursed as his hands trembled and he had to lower them from his face with the camera, aching with need as his hard on became instantly painful.

'_He's here…but where?'_ Akihito questioned himself after he sat flat on his ass and reached for his suppressants in his side pocket. He couldn't fathom why he would go into heat in a place like this, and how close would his mate have to be for this to happen? When he was done, he fumbled for the camera and looked back out the window, only to see the street deserted of the two men while one of the cars drove away.

"Fuck." Akihito scrambled to his feet and moved towards the door, knowing that the car that stayed behind meant those men were looking for him. Even with the need to mate intensifying, he stuck his head out the door and looked if the coast was clear. Seeing no sign of company, he slipped out towards the stairs, peering over the edge for any sign of anybody coming up. He cursed when he saw a suited figure climbing the steps a few floors down too quickly to be normal. He went back the way he came, intent on finding another way out when a voice boomed from the left end of the hallway.

"Stop right there!"

"Oh shit!" Akihito took off at a run at the other end of the hallway, intent on getting away when he realized he ran into a single open window and no doors at the end; A fire escape.

"Give it up, Takaba, we have you now."

A voice spoke ominously behind him and Akihito turned around to glare at the unknown driver, the man in the glasses. Panting, he said. "How do you know my name?"

The man didn't answer, but made a move towards him and Akihito jumped through the window and shuffled down the metal stairs as quickly as he could. He moved faster than his pursuer and managed to jump down to the ground from halfway up the first floor, landing with a roll before standing and making to sprint away. He straightened and before he could take the first step, he was grabbed from behind, gasping in fright as one hand held his shoulder tightly and the other held a cloth with what he knew was chloroform over his nose. He cursed and struggled in the strong grip, trying to get away until he realized he was losing consciousness, trying to claw his way back to the surface of awareness futilely. Right before he passed out completely, a gruff voice husked in his ear and a shiver wracked his entire frame.

"Now, you're finally mine."


	2. Chapter 2

Asami felt disgruntled. His court hearing was coming up and it was getting on his nerves. After two years whose nerve wouldn't it bother? The prosecution was stalling because they had no case, but wanted to hold out for as long as possible against him. It was almost comical how they kept asking for extensions in his trial for lack of witnesses or misplaced evidence.

But today, he wasn't in the mood to make light of his situation. Something had happened yesterday. Stuck in traffic, he'd caught an enrapturing scent before _feeling_ his mate and it was so intense his body coiled tighter than a snake, ready to snap. The knot on the base of his cock expanded suddenly and it was only his strong sense of will that prevented him from releasing endless ropes of cum in the back seat of his limousine. The precome was heavy, a bit much and he grabbed sheets of handtowels before freeing his erect cock and wiping away the physical evidence of his need for his mate. When he managed to get his body back under control, he looked around, through the window of the limousine, trying to see who it was, but nobody caught his attention. He even instructed Kirishima to look out for an omega in heat, but his subordinate didn't see anybody related to his request. He looked around at the two closest places to his side of the road and realized they'd stopped between a shop and an omega/beta friendly bar. He knew the bar was his best bet, but no alphas were allowed and unfortunately, such places were protected under law, which was upheld by the Japan Society For Equality, which meant he couldn't just barge into the bar and demand to see every omega in heat at the moment.

"Pull over, get as close to the bar as you can."

"Asami-sama, forgive my doubt but you have an appointment with your lawyers in the next few minutes…"

Asami's eyes hardened. He pressed the intercom again, biting out crisply. "This is more important."

Without further question, Kirishima did as instructed.

Fifteen minutes later, Asami was still watching the entrance to the bar, remembering all the drunken omegas that went and those that came. Nobody struck his interest, but that was the most intense heat he'd ever felt and it proved that he did have a mate out there somewhere. For once, it was hard to ignore the growing need between his legs when normally, he had to put some effort into liking the experience with others. No matter how much he enjoyed sleeping with someone, he'd always felt a little hollow and unsatisfied afterwards.

The wait was annoying and when three teenagers left the bar, one of them turning back to ask the bouncer something, he couldn't take his eyes off that one. There was just something about the kid with dirty blond hair standing there, but his heat had lessened to bearable and hadn't flared again, so he decided no matter how physically appealing he might find someone else, they wouldn't do in a time when he knew for a fact his mate was out there somewhere. Giving the wait more than enough time for him to get increasingly restless, he decided it was time to go. Too much time had passed and nothing was happening.

Pressing the button, he instructed Kirishima to resume his earlier duties.

"Yes, Asami-sama."

The car moved forward and Asami decided to speak to his subordinate again. "I need the evening's surveillance footage from that bar…every camera available in every room during the past hour."

"Yes, Asami-sama."

*******VF*******

That night, after a particular argument with his lawyer over their strategies regarding his case earlier in the evening, Asami still couldn't take his mind off his need to mate. Sitting alone in his penthouse apartment on his leather couch with a snifter in his right fingers, half full of brandy; tie loose, shirt unbuttoned and open, zipper pulled down and erection freed, he sneered at the fact that at this point in his trial, coming down to the wire, he had to be advising his advisors. They had good strategies by mediocre standards and unfortunately, they were the best this side of Japan had to offer.

The anger and the heat coiled in Asami's belly like a vice, stiffening his cock and causing him to release precum in excess. The need to mate was riding him with detriment and he uncharacteristically considered touching himself.

Taking another sip of his brandy, he relaxed into the couch with his eyes closed and his head comfortable on the leather, imagining his mate, imagining fucking a younger, hot, blond guy with hazel eyes and a 100 watt smile. He turned his head to the side as the images floating behind his eyelid caused his cock to jump at each imagined stroke and twitch at each imagined taste. He even remembered what his mate was suppose to smell like in heat; heady and sweet with a hint of spicy, a smell that went straight to his cock at the memory.

As an alpha, Asami was taught, and had taught himself self control throughout his 30 years of life, but now he was becoming undone by the forces of nature and it wracked him in a way he'd never felt before. He didn't touch himself no matter how badly he wanted to, but his shaft had a mind of its own and it wanted release as his knot throbbed and swelled, supplying hormones that fed his brain what it needed behind his eyes to throttle full force towards ejaculation even with his strong enough will-power preventing him from touching itself. He had no idea why he was thinking of that kid he'd only glimpsed once, of all people, but when he imagined him coming, sweat causing his hair to stick to his face and sensuous, kiss bruised lips moaning in abandon and screaming his name for more as he fucked him open with his huge cock, his right fingers squeezed the snifter until his knuckles turned white while his left gripped one of the cushions beside him in a death grip. He chanced a glance down at his too willful erection as a single rope of precome pooled inside and under his belly-button, mixing with the amount already there.

His knot felt tender and sensitive and even then, Asami didn't touch himself.

Without preamble, Asami panted as his need for release washed over him and he burrowed further into the couch as his body tightened and muscles snapped. His cock ejaculated ropes and spurts of silky white cum all over his stomach and chest without a single touch and he shivered through it, slumping and breathing harshly when he was partially covered in the hot, sticky mess.

Opening his eyes, Asami looked down on himself as the reality of what had just happened hit him full force. He ran his fingers through the most cum he'd ever released since he knew himself and asked only one question… "What the hell…?"

Asami knew then and there, that whoever his mate was, wherever he could be, he's going to find him and make him his no matter what it takes.

*******VF*******

By the next night, Asami was in too good a mood to focus on anything else. As he downed his eighth drink for the night in his office at his club, Sion, in the heart of Tokyo, he glanced again at the newspaper on his desk, smirking at the indignation that went on in that courthouse when the judge finally gave his verdict.

_'…Not Guilty…'_

Not that Asami didn't know he would get off…he made sure of it, money rules after all…but it'd been going on for far too long and it was like a metaphorical huge loss of weight to get it out of the way. He could imagine how pissed the prosecution and some people were, but that's none of his business. He paged Kirishima to his office.

"Asami-sama." Kirishima bowed in greeting upon entering his office.

"Anything on the tape from the bar?"

"Not much. No-one was in heat from what I could tell, but something happened in the male bathroom starting from 8:40pm, around the same time we were outside…"

Asami took a USB drive Kirishima handed him and slipped it into the port of the Macbook Pro he had sitting to the left of his desk.

"Unfortunately…there were no cameras in the bathroom itself, but I've isolated images of who went and came within a ten minute frame of our close proximity."

Asami nodded, took another sip of his drink and then hit the media player button after the USB file loaded. He sat and watched all the people entering and leaving, recognizing the blond head of the kid he'd spotted out on the street. His interest peaked at the recognition. He picked up when the other two he saw leaving with the kid entered, then the swift exit of one of them. A moment later the one that was left poked his head out the door before pulling it back in. The one that left came back with what he recognized was a clothing store bag.

Change of clothes meant accident from a heat and now Asami was more than convinced that the kid he'd been fantasizing about was his mate. A devilish smirk came over his face, one full of his promise of possession. When the three exited the bathroom, he froze the frame on the face of the one he wanted before handing Kirishima the laptop.

"Find him as soon as possible, I need to know everything about him and I need that info before the night is over. Have Suoh start on the Nijishima case and find out how wide their territory have gotten in the last few months and how much we need to take back. In exactly two hours get the car ready, I need to go down to the Jewelry store to tie up some loose ends."

"Yes, Asami-sama." With a bow, Kirishima took the laptop and left, knowing that whoever this kid was, he was the cause of his boss' suddenly uncharacteristic behavior and that the need he could see in those eyes meant this kid would get owned, whether he liked it or not.

*******VF*******

A few hours later, while Asami was entering the back seat of his car, Kirishima handed him a single file folder. When he was comfortable, he poured himself another glass of liquor, scotch this time, then opened the file folder before reading the contents.

Name: Takaba Akihito

Birth-date: May 5

Height/Weight: 175cm/60kg

Occupation: Freelance Photographer

Address: Shiki, Saitama Prefecture

Apartment 240, Hashimaru Complex

Blood Type/Status: O/Omega

Under that was a list of his contacts, achievements and a picture of the blond hair, hazel eye kid he'd had his mind on from the first time he'd seen him. Even the glimpse of a picture set him off in a way he'd rarely ever felt and he closed the file and took a deep breath before downing all of the scotch, relying on his self control to stop his body from acting on impulse.

"Asami-sama, we're here."

Suoh's voice over the intercom broke him out of his thoughts and it also helped Asami to lower his libido. "Thank you."

Kirishima was the one to open the back door, but before Asami could put a foot out he _smelled_ him, feeling the onset of another heat slam into him like a freight train at full speed. One hand gripped the backseat of the car too tight for comfort while the other came to rest on his stomach where the discomfort of his knot swelling caused him to double over in sexual agony.

Kirishima could see something was wrong with his boss and with concern evident in his voice and decorum, asked, "Asami-sama…?"

Asami looked up into Kirishima's eyes with the fire he felt burning his inside for his mate. "Take Suoh and _find_ him."

Kirishima didn't have to ask who, and he shut the door hastily before getting his partner in the front passenger seat.

"We need to move, that kid is around here somewhere, we need to find him."

"What does he look like?"

Kirishima remembered that he only told Suoh about the kid, so he pulled a copy of the picture in the file jacket he gave to his boss from his front jacket pocket before handing it to the man.

Suoh took in the details before handing it back. He became aware of his surrounding and they left hastily, looking around before crossing the street.

Both men looked closely at everyone that passed them. Luckily, the sidewalk wasn't too crowded and they acted in a way to hopefully not draw attention to themselves, they were parked across from and was walking a few meters away from the Tokyo police station after all.

Luckily, blond hairs were rare enough for Kirishima to spot a head of that color hair that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He tapped Suoh on the shoulder before pointing the person out.

"Let's get him," Suoh gritted out and they broke out into a quick jog, especially when they realized the person was acting suspiciously, like he knew something was up.

The kid glimpsed them over his shoulder and Kirishima just knew it was him, Takaba. He and Suoh took off at a run when the kid started running away.

The commotion the kid caused by almost knocking a woman flat didn't deter him and Kirishima saw the fear in his eyes when he looked back at them. Like a cornered animal, Takaba took off down a dark alley and that's when Kirishima realized that Takaba Akihito was a damn good runner. He and Suoh managed to keep him in sight for a while, until he managed to jump over a high wooden fence with the grace of a cat. Unfortunately, by the time he and Suoh made it over the fence, the kid was gone.

"Damn it." Kirishima looked over at Suoh as he doubled over in pain from the exertion.

"The kid can run, I'll give him that."

"Asami-sama won't like this."

"I know."

*******VF*******

Asami's eyes darkened when his subordinates returned to him a few moments later. He exited the car and stood before the two men by the door, eyeing them disapprovingly. "You're empty handed, why?"

Kirishima cleared his throat, speaking for him and Suoh when he said, "Our apologies, Asami-sama, he's a talented sprinter."

Kirishima didn't know what to think, and he could tell the same could be said for his partner when their boss chuckled before letting out a short, hearty laugh.

"Like a koma dancing on the Go board…"

Asami only shook his head in amusement before ducking back into the car and closing the door. For a kid to outrun his two best men like that meant that his mate would keep him _very_ entertained once he had him. His impatience was belied by his outward stoic attitude and he took back up the file before reading further.

The thing was, just going to his apartment and snatching the kid up felt too anti-climatic. Asami wanted to experience for himself the hunt of the chase, to draw Takaba Akihito out like a rat in a maze. He wanted to experience that fire he'd come to expect from his mate and when he was done reading through the file, he looked over at the police station with a devious smirk planted firmly on his lips.

Knowing that his men were awaiting further instructions, he instructed them to take him home, postponing his meeting with the jewelry store owner and instructing them to set up a meeting first thing in the morning with Detective Yamaka from the Tokyo police department.

*******VF*******

Everything had worked out exactly as Asami wanted. He'd met with Detective Yamaka yesterday morning at one of his old, abandoned offices, who was one of the men he had under his payroll. It was the easiest thing getting the man to betray Takaba, even if Asami could see how much it hurt said man to do so. He didn't outline what he wanted the kid for, but like Yamaka said, nothing good would come to Takaba if he got involved with him and he was too pleased to point out that would more than likely turn out to be true.

"Pass along the information to the Editor of the magazine that Takaba works, they'll trust a cop's word over anything else."

Yamaka swallowed worriedly. "It's a trap."

Asami blew out a plume of smoke from his Dunhill before smirking at the dirty cop. "That it is."

"But he's my…"

"You're _what_?" Asami asked suddenly, eyes darkening dangerously as he watched the man from under his lashes, _daring_ him to stake_any_ sort of claim over what was his.

Yamaka swallowed thickly. "He's my friend."

"And now he's mine. Do as I say or I'll ruin you. Now get out."

Yamaka had walked away; shoulders slumped in a way that let Asami know he was regretting his decision. But either way he didn't care. Takaba Akihito was his mate, _his_, and he'll make sure to get a taste of that fiery will before he tasted that fiery body. His cock had jumped just thinking about it.

Kirishima entered his office then, breaking him out of his thoughts and Asami turned to face the man.

"The car is ready for your meeting with Tomio Shigeo of the executive branch of parliament, Asami-sama. As instructed, I've confirmed Takaba Akihito's presence at the location and Suoh is putting together the items you required. He will be meeting us here in fifteen minutes and then we'll be leaving at your request."

Asami nodded, pleased. "Thank you, Kirishima. Dismissed."

Kirishima bowed before leaving and Asami felt excited. He kept anticipating Takaba Akihito and as uncharacteristic as he knew he was being, he felt like a kid that got the best gift on his birthday, gift-wrapped and delivered right into his lap; his mate for life.

He wanted to fuck Takaba until his face turned blue, breed him until he couldn't breed anymore and then he would do it all over again and again and again.

*******VF*******

Asami could barely keep a straight face as he looked at Tomio-san, knowing exactly what he was doing by positioning himself a certain way. Takaba would be kept in the dark about his identity, for now, and when he went into heat because of the kid's proximity, he couldn't hold back. His entire body stiffened and he instructed the man before him to leave, they'd been compromised.

"Get him." Asami instructed as Tomio jumped into his vehicle and sped away. He took one glance up to where he knew Takaba was, getting ready for the thrill of the chase as Kirishima and Suoh made their way into the building, getting ready to flush out the photographer into his waiting arms.

It wasn't as easy as Asami thought, flushing out the kid, because he expected Takaba to take the easy way out when he was cornered. He was glad he didn't enter the building, because standing back in the shadows and seeing Takaba descend the fire escape above his head with Kirishima hot on his heels made him feel validated in his need to possess and covet. Takaba was a special creature, one fit for him in every way imaginable.

Takaba didn't wait for the safety of the last rung before he jumped, rolling with the force to prevent damage to his legs or ankles. It thrilled him to have Takaba so close and the adrenaline almost drowned out the effects of his heat. He had the chloroform ready and when Takaba made to run off, he gripped him, held tight and then he put the doused cloth over the kid's nose.

"Now, you're finally mine."

Takaba struggled, but that only allowed the drug to flow through his system faster and in the blink of an eye, Takaba slumped, becoming dead weight in his arms. He threw Takaba over his left shoulder right when Kirishima managed to jump to safety from the last rung of the fire escape. He watched as the man straightened, breathing hard and eyeing his charge warily.

"Get Suoh immediately."

Kirishima bowed before going back into the building and Asami carried his mate to the back of his car, where he gently laid him across the seat before getting in and closing the door; sealing Takaba's fate.


	3. Chapter 3

Akihito had no idea where he was or what was happening. He felt groggy, fatigued in a way he knew wasn't normal and nauseous. His eyes were still closed but his brain worked to try and figure out something, _anything_ about his current state no matter how much it was pounding. He burrowed further into what felt like a really comfortable bed, more comfortable than he'd felt in a really long while.

For some reason he felt really hot and he was perspiring a lot, skin damp and clammy. He couldn't fathom his current situation, but he just wanted to switch his brain off and go back to sleep…until he remembered being on an important stake-out and bits of later events.

Memories slowly trickling in, he remembered the heat, the chase, the adrenaline and his almost escape. Then nothing. Forcing his eyes open, he looked around the posh, spacious room barely lit by sunlight, giving him the impression of late evening, which was outlined with expensive décor. He knew that he should be panicking and making a run for it, but whatever was coursing through his system kept him pliant in a way he could hardly move and his head was extremely foggy. Groaning, he covered his eyes with one shaky hand before trying to move. For now, he was alone and he had no idea who brought him here or why. He wanted to try and get out whichever way he could, and as soon as possible.

When Akihito managed to roll on to his side, he closed his eyes as a wave of intense nausea attacked him full force. He threw up same place on the bed, hanging his head over the side and straining as bile and slime covered a yellow circle on the patterned Tatami mat he could barely make out. As the exertion from emptying his stomach content almost sent him rolling off the bed, he was surprised when a hand rested on his shoulder and kept him in place. He didn't have the strength or the will to ponder the touch, not while he was throwing up, sending his blood pressure skyrocketing and his throat burning. When he was through, he rolled on to his back and coughed wildly as the foul taste gagged him more and the pain from the strain threatened to break his face muscles in half.

Along with the disjointed feeling and discord, his body couldn't manage the onslaught and the last thing Akihito remembered before he willed himself into a deep, pain induced sleep was soft hands on his forehead and a cool rag wiping at his sour mouth.

*******VF*******

The next time Akihito awoke, he was greeted by the same image as the first time, except now the room was a lot brighter from what appeared to be the high noon sun and while he wasn't as sick as before, he felt queasy enough to not make any sudden movements. He remembered what happened the last time he tried to get out of bed.

Vision a lot more focused than the last time, he took in his surrounding closely, realizing he'd never seen such a room before. Experimentally, he moved both legs slowly over the side of the bed, sighing in relief when he gently sat up without too much problems. His head pounded mercilessly, but it lessened once he straightened and sat without strain.

Akihito was thinking what would be his next course of action when the room door opened and a tall man in glasses entered with a tray in both hands. He recognized him immediately…well sort of. He knew he knew the man from somewhere; the memory was on the tip of his brain, waiting to come to him.

"You…"

The man bowed before setting the items on the tray on a wooden table by the bed and Akihito eyed him wearily, suddenly self conscious and wary, wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

"I'm Kirishima Kei. I'd advice you to drink the protein shake before taking the pain medicine since I'm sure your stomach is in a very sensitive state."

Akihito eyed the table top with the shake, a glass of water and two ibuprofen resting along the side suspiciously.

"I don't care who you are, I'm not taking anything from strangers."

The man held the empty tray in one hand by his side while the other removed his glasses from his face and Akihito could see his eyes clearly; a dark brown with flecks of yellow and a look that told him if he didn't do as told there would be consequences.

"Trust me, your going to need it."

Akihito's eyes narrowed even while his heart pounded in anticipation. "How long have I been here? _Why_ am I here?"

The man, Kirishima, didn't say anything more except to turn and walk away and Akihito felt a deep sense of foreshadowing for something nasty. As soon as the door closed he stood on frail legs and moved as gingerly as he could to the wooden structure, turning the knob and realizing that it's locked.

"Shit." Akihito cursed, adrenaline ebbing away some of the disjoint he felt in his body as his mind worked overtime on theories of escape. He was disappointed though when a cursory glance of the room revealed one window that told him he was way too high to jump out said window…unless he was superman.

The only other door led to a very spacious, tiled bathroom with glass doors and the sight of it suddenly triggered Akihito's bladder. He wanted to pee really badly.

After washing his hands under the chrome faucet when he was done, Akihito made his way back out to the bedroom. He saw nothing he could do except drink the shake and build up his strength like the other man suggested. He would be needing it after all if it came down to fighting his way out of here. Hopefully, it wasn't poisoned, but he doubted it since there would be much easier ways to get rid of him without kidnapping him. He walked over to the bed and sat heavily, then he made up his mind and took up the glass.

Strawberry flavored, and it tasted really good too. He downed it all in one go, because he couldn't stop himself after the first sip when his stomach growled at the prospect of something edible. To how his body was behaving, he'd say he'd been here more than a day. When he was through, he relented in taking the pain medication. He inspected the pills first though and when he got confirmation by way of abbreviation on the underside of the tablets, he downed them with some of the water.

As the pain dulled to a slight numbness, Akihito tried the door again. He pushed against it without effect. He would have tried kicking it down, except the blowback wouldn't be worth it if you asked him. He had a single plan formed in his head though, just in case he would find himself having to fight…for his life. He took up the glass that he got the shake in and took it inside the bathroom. He turned on the faucet on high to create enough noise and grabbed a towel, wrapping the glass in it. He hit the object hard against the wall, shattering the first half, creating a sharp and dangerous object to be used as a weapon. He shook out the shards in the toilet before flushing it, getting rid of the evidence. He threw the towel in the hamper then he hid the broken glass under the foot of the bed near the wall hidden by the table, where it would be less conspicuous, for the time being.

*******VF*******

Feeling restless in his caged surroundings, it was two hours later when the sound of the lock clicking into place caused Akihito to whip his eyes up to see who it was. He was restless as the same man from before entered with another guard, this one blond and bulkier, who had a tray with food that had Akihito's stomach grumbling loudly when the aroma hit his nostrils. He watched them, but made no sort of movement as they approached.

"Takaba-san, you need to eat then shower."

Akihito glared defiantly at the two. He made no move to do any of what was instructed and tried to bargain for information instead, even while the tray of food beside him was so tempting his mouth started to water and his stomach protested. It was a platter of roast beef strips with baked potatoes and a spoon of rice with a bowl of hot, steaming miso soup on the side. Way too extravagant of a meal if you ask him, especially as a last meal.

Akihito forced himself to clamp down on his hunger though and he kept his steady defiant gaze on the men. "Not unless you tell me why I'm here."

"Suoh, he's not going to eat, finish up in here and I'll get him a change of clothes."

Akihito followed Kirishima's back as he turned and walked towards the door, which was why he was so surprised when the other one, Suoh, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him roughly out of the bed to his feet.

"Hey…!" Akihito cried in protest. "What the hell are you doing?"

Fear rose in Akihito as the blond man pulled him towards the bathroom. He tried to struggle out of the man's grip but it was too strong and he yelped when he was shoved through the bathroom door, almost tripping over his own two feet. Righting himself, he turned and glared at the man standing in the doorway with disdain.

"You have thirty seconds to start showering or I'm going to come in there and do it for you."

The man slammed the door shut and Akihito jumped, startled, before starting to strip. There's no way he'd want a man like that in the bathroom with him…with his hands _on_ him tearing his clothes off. He shivered in abhorrence at the idea before getting in the shower –jet spray showerhead on three sides- and wondered for the umpteenth time what kind of rich bastard had him caged up in here like this and for what?

And that's when the memory slammed into him hard. This was Asami's men! He doesn't know how he could have forgotten something like that when he first saw them, but at least he knew a little more about his situation now, _who_ exactly had him. He surmised Asami wanted him because he tried to take pictures of his shady dealings, although something didn't sit right with him. The food, shower and attentiveness by the guards made things feel a lot off kilter.

Still, Akihito remembered that he'd gone into heat down by the quarry and a shiver of fear ran through him when he thought Asami might have gotten rid of whoever it was. What if his mate was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? What if the worst possible outcome was a reality; what if he had no more mate to look forward to?

As he rinsed off soap from his body and his hair, a wave of anger washed over Akihito and he decided he would demand answers from the two men, not relenting until he got some.

When he came out of the shower stall, there was a suit of clothes sitting conveniently on the top of the closed toilet seat and a brand new toothbrush still in the wrapper. That's when he ran his tongue along his teeth and realized that they were the dirtiest he'd ever felt them in a very long while. He was glad he couldn't smell his own breath at the moment. He felt completely naked –even though he was- without a towel on even though he was alone and he grabbed one, wrapped himself in it and then manhandled the toothbrush before using a new tube of paste he saw lying on the faucet. When he was through he dried off with the extra towel before he shimmied into the provided clothes. Then, he grabbed the handle of the door and pulled on it roughly, walking out to the sight of Kirishima smoothing out changed sheets and Suoh fluffing out new pillow cases on the pillows. "I'm demanding to see your boss, Asami, right now."

"The food was reheated; eat before it gets cold again." Kirishima didn't even look at him while he spoke and Akihito crossed his arms over his chest in defiance.

"Forget the food, I want to know why the hell I'm here and I need answers."

"Eat and then we'll answer." Suoh's deep voice spoke and Akihito's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you two insisting that I eat so badly? Is it poisoned or something?" Akihito looked over at the food, as scrumptious and appetizing as the first time he saw it and his mouth watered uncontrollably while his stomach whined in protest. It was getting so much harder to ignore such a basic necessity, especially when his body felt deprived with hunger.

Kirishima straightened his glasses on his face before looking at him and then he spoke with a hint of exasperation. "Look, I know for a fact you're dying of hunger and you'll need your strength. Asami-sama will be visiting you shortly and you'll be extremely sorry if you didn't take this chance at something to build up your strength. I can't force you but it's in your best interest. Eat, please."

And with those words the two men walked away, closing the door behind them. Akihito didn't know what to make of that, it was almost like Kirishima was begging him to eat the food. They didn't seem to want to harm him, they could have at any point he was here anyway. He walked over and sat on the now cool, clean sheets, staring at the increasingly hard to ignore tray of food. The smell, the look, Kirishima's words…he decided to try a bite and see what would happen. He didn't even realize he'd ate the entire thing until he was looking at an empty tray a few moments later.

It was good though, the best meal he'd had in a very long time. Expensive meat was always the best; it seemed to be Wagyu beef.

The food had only a few minutes to settle in his stomach and he lay stretched out on the bed like a kitten, feeling so much better than before and immensely lethargic with the shower and the meal combined.

Akihito was just about to close his eyes when he felt it, stiffening in more than one ways as he was attacked by his heat, so much stronger and potent than other times. His eyes went wide and he sat up suddenly while his heart palpitated and his cock stiffened. He started self lubricating rapidly, feeling the physical proof that he was too willing and ready for his mate.

His mate, his goddamn alpha mate was here and he couldn't figure why or who. Even while he balled his fists in the sheet as the heat washed over his entire body, he could feel the anticipation building like a tidal wave inside him. Panting, he kept his eyes firmly on the door of the room, because his mate was on the other side and in a moment the great suspense of Takaba Akihito's sexual life would end. Aside from the feeling, he kept thinking back to who it could be. If the person was in Asami's place, did that mean his alpha knew Asami? …Or was Asami…?

"Fuck…no." Akihito moaned unbridled as he closed his eyes, praying to Buddha that a man like Asami would not be his mate. As much as his body was thrumming with sexual relish, Akihito's mind was running full circle in his prayer for another outcome, even while he felt strongly that it was true because most of the times he went into provoked heat, he realized Asami's men were always around, which meant the man himself was always within proximity. Even when he could tell the door was opened and his back arched as his cock spasmed and his ass clenched in anticipation, he still didn't open his eyes in fear of who he might see.

The bed dipped and a pair of tangy, full, sensual lips pulled his into a passionate kiss while strong hands cupped his face. Akihito's eyes flew open then, and even while he wanted so badly to be touched, a pang of disappointment ran through him when he was met back with knowing golden eyes, a heated look from the one man he wished wasn't sitting before him –his mind supplied, even while his body wanted to drown in all of the older man so close-.

Still watching him, Asami pulled back just enough to whisper, "Don't worry, you'll be craving me more than the air you breathe when I'm done with you."

Even while the words flowed over his skin like velvet, Akihito's only response was to whimper in denial because he knew it was true; he was bound to Asami for eternity whether he liked it or not; Asami was his _one, true_ _mate_.

"Feel it." Asami hissed in Akihito's ear while he pulled one of the younger's hand to squeeze his engorged cock.

Akihito marveled at the size and even though he had his reservations, majority ruled and right now his body and its needs were the governing entity, so logic took a back seat when Asami maneuvered him on to the bed on his knees, fitting behind him with deft fingers holding his chin and craning his neck so their kiss wasn't broken. The other hand was shoved past the barrier of his pants before gripping and rubbing over the head of his erection, which caused his entire body to shake with the anticipation of more. He could taste the man's desire and smell his arousal, strong and potent and only the heavens knew how much he wanted Asami to bend him over backwards and screw him senseless. His wish would be granted soon enough if the hard-on pressing into his back as Asami grinded against him was any indication. He arched his back into Asami's touch, moaning salaciously as the hand that was on his chin came down to pinch and pull softly on his nipples. Asami started sucking on his neck and leaving love bites and he pressed back on the man's cock.

"I know you want it, you'll be fucking every inch soon, I promise."

Asami's voice husked and his breath was hot in Akihito's ear, who shivered from head to toes with ecstatic need. "N…now…"

It was the pheromones that were making him wanton like this, Akihito knew, but he allowed his shirt to be pulled over his head and the button and zipper on his pants to become undone, each sound bringing him that much closer to the sexual gratification his body craved. Asami ran his larger hands down the side of his own, not stopping until their fingers intertwined and then Asami's weight was on his back, pushing him forward until both his hands were bracing on the headboard of the bed with his back arched, his ass jutting out and his own shaft heavy and dripping between his legs.

"Be patient, my cute little kitten. I want to give it just as much as you want to take it, but I want to use my tongue first and taste you, then I'll feel you as much as you want."

Akihito whimpered as Asami kissed a trail down his spine, holding his hips and never stopping until he was tasting that little opening that wanted his shaft so badly.

"Oh God…" Akihito moaned at the sensation, feeling his body coil and heat exponentially.

"So wet…" Asami hissed between licks and Akihito could barely hold himself upright, his knees and arms wanted to give out and Asami's firm hands on his body was a huge part of the reason he was still upright. Akihito licked his lips and moaned needily when Asami pulled his hardened length back before his tongue was gliding over the hot flesh down to the head, sucking on it hard.

When Asami licked back up to his rim, removed his tongue and then replaced it with a finger, Akihito could feel his ass clenching the digit tightly. He worked it until one turned two and two turned three and he couldn't wait any longer. "Please…Asami, fuck me…"

Asami was all too eager to comply and in a flurry of movements Asami had him where he wanted him, in a position able to provide easy penetration.

"I want you…right here." Akihito moaned, feeling his own ass flutter in anticipation as he grabbed Asami's huge shaft to help guide it to his entrance. With a small cry of pain mingled with the sweet tang of eroticism, Akihito got his ass stretched open by Asami's huge cock, taking it all while the man hit his prostate. Panting, he adjusted quickly to the size and started meeting each of Asami's thrusts head-on, working his hips in jerky circular motions to consort Asami's deep, hard thrusts.

Doggy-style was the initiating position, but an hour later they'd covered most of what they knew. It was a one-in-a-million ride: it hadn't felt this good since ever.

"Going to knot you…" Asami groaned while his bruising grip on Akihito's hips helped the blond to fuck on it harder and longer from his reverse cow-girl position. "Going to breed you…"

Akihito could hardly form a coherent thought while he fucked himself on Asami's cock, but the mention of the word breed had his focus shifting minutely to consider that option. He quickly put it out of his mind though, because there's no way Asami could ever get him pregnant: his suppressants made sure of it. He gasped when Asami shifted, then pushed him back on the bed so his head was on the pillow, and then he nudged his legs apart and settled in between, resuming kissing him passionately while his hands roamed all over his heated, sweaty skin.

"I'm going to knot you and breed you Akihito; you're mine forever."

Asami whispered the words against his lips with such conviction Akihito almost doubted his own state regarding the former part of the remark, but he knew there was no reason to, because Asami couldn't get him pregnant no matter what he thought; no way, no how. As for being Asami's, he would never allow himself to become anybody's bitch and no matter how much he was begging for the man's cock right now, Asami would learn that soon enough.

"Shut up and fuck me." Akihito gritted out, his words firm and needy in the same breath. He arched his back and moaned, allowing Asami to throw his legs over his shoulders so he could fuck him open wider and deeper. Asami started stroking him in tandem with his thrusts, bringing him that much closer to his sexual zenith. As the feeling pulsed through his veins like liquid fire and had manage to shut down most of his motor functions except that single pleasure button, he gave himself over to the euphoric paradise wholeheartedly; body and soul, releasing ropes of milky white cum all over his stomach, chest and Asami's stroking hand while his body tightened uncontrollably.

Feeling Akihito's ass clench around him tightly enough, Asami had found his own peak and decided this was it, he would knot Akihito here and now; _bind_ him to his soul through his body.

Through his initial post coital buzz, Akihito cried out when he felt the man's knot extending, moaning and grabbing the sheets while Asami's hip action slammed hard against his ass, hard enough to border painful. But when Asami stilled and grinded against him so his knot could fall into place he cried out from the pain. It was the first time he'd ever felt it and as Asami's cock expanded, there was something that felt like little sharp objects scraping along his inner walls, starting from the rim of his anus inward.

"It hurts…" Akihito panted through his nose while his semi-hard erection started wilting, looking up into Asami's eyes pleadingly while he tried to squirm away.

"Shhh, it won't hurt for long, will only last a minute," Asami said in a hushed tone, pinning him down with his arms and running fingers through his hair in a bid to calm him. Already Akihito could feel the pain ebbing away into a dull, throbbing ache. When he watched Asami's face Asami groaned loudly, then he grabbed him under the arms and hefted him as he sat on his haunches and pulled Akihito on to his lap, pinning him with his hands under his arms and fingers gripping his shoulders tightly while his eyes rolled back. Akihito could feel gushes of cum fill his ass.

It was exquisite, watching Asami's face as he came. Akihito could almost appreciate those handsome features set in a look of total sexual elation with closed eyes and parted lips…sweat coated brows and nose and upper lips. He brought a hand up and moved a lock of stray hair that fell across Asami's forehead before the man lowered him back to the bed and they just laid there in each other's arms while the knot did what it was suppose to do. Normally, knotting took around fifteen minutes and any attempt to detach before then would be excruciatingly painful for the both of them.

Now that his heartbeat was getting under control and his body was cooling down, Akihito felt so awkward with Asami being so close and intimate. Now he remembered who Asami was and why he had hoped his mate wouldn't have been a man of this type. There was no question if Asami was a shady businessman performing questionable practices, everybody knew that and he strived to bring down these type of men through his work. He honestly wondered how the hell he would work this out with himself.

"Um…"

Asami raised his head to look at Akihito at the sound of his voice "What is it?"

Akihito frowned at the man's commanding tone. "You know I don't like you very much, right?"

Asami smirked. "A few moments ago painted a different picture."

Akihito was getting irritated already. "You're my mate, unfortunately. I can like sex with you but nothing else about you."

Asami made a noncommittal noise from his throat. "So how will you work around us having children then?"

Akihito barked out a sudden bout of laughter, calming down at Asami's puzzled look. "Sorry, it's just there's no way you will ever be able to get me pregnant."

Asami settled himself more comfortably on top of him before running fingers soothingly over his chest and asking, "Why do you say that?"

Akihito threw both hands out beside him before answering. "Because I'm taking hormonal suppressants and unless I stop and purge my system, which will take at least a month, you won't be able to do anything of the sort and luckily for me…?... I'll never do a purge to please you."

Omegas, whether men or women, developed reproductive organs after their first heat and could get pregnant when knotted after that. Akihito had accepted after a while that one day he would be able to breed and have children, something he wasn't looking forward to in the least, and he especially took his hormones to try and prevent such a thing for as long as possible. There's no way Asami would be doing that to him unless he wanted him to; which would be _never_.

And although studies in male pregnancy have come a long way in modern society, there were still very high risks involved, risks he wasn't too sure he wanted to take.

Asami's eyes narrowed. "What would you do if you _did_ get pregnant for me?"

Akihito honestly thought about it. In the event that he did, could he takes out his grievances with Asami on an unborn child? He didn't believe in abortion either. "I honestly don't know. Thank heavens I can't get pregnant for you though so I won't even have to think about it."

Asami was pleased with that answer, because it meant abortion was a very weak option…if any. What Akihito didn't know and he would find out on his own was that his system had already started the purge and one day in the near future, he will be giving him an offspring no matter what he thought about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Three months later, Akihito was still doing his normal photojournalist job, even though they were becoming sparse and far in between. He made it a general rule to stay out of Asami's path though. It was because he would go into heat when near the man and not because he didn't want to bring him down, he told himself. Except, whenever either of them went into heat and sought the other out it was like those moments were far removed from reality; just a perfect little world where they both could become one; _AsamiandAkihito_ instead of Asami and Akihito.

It was a breezy Tuesday morning and Kou sat in Akihito's living room, on his couch, watching a morning program on the TV while waiting on him to get ready to leave. As Omegas they normally went to their regular pharmacists together for their suppressant refills, which was due now since they were running low. There were mild, over the counter suppressants for emergencies, but theirs were by prescription only because of the birth control effect.

Akihito walked out of his room, straightening his jacket as he glanced at Kou. "Hey, you want something to drink before we leave?"

Kou nodded. "Yeah, orange juice."

Akihito rolled his eyes, Kou drank orange juice like regular people drank water. After throwing out the drink for Kou in a glass, he grabbed a box of fruit punch juice for himself. He took a seat beside Kou after handing him his drink and then he focused on the TV while he drank.

"Did you see the new pharmacist down by the pharmacy?" Kou asked conversationally.

Akihito frowned. The former pharmacist, a middle aged man named Takuya-san, had been stationed at that branch for two years; he knew him well. "No, I didn't know that. Know who's there now?"

"Yeah, hot Beta woman called Asuka-_chan_," Kou piped up.

Akihito snorted. "She's your type, huh?"

Kou blushed.

"Anyway, let's go."

Leaving the rest of their juice behind, the two left the small apartment and headed down to the pharmacy a few blocks away. They had repeat prescriptions so they didn't have to wait in a long line.

Akihito took in the new pharmacist while he and Kou stood behind two people handing in their prescriptions. She had dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail and wore thin wired glasses with the generic white overcoat. Her face was round and her features soft and she seemed like a friendly professional. When it was time for he and Kou to hand in their prescriptions, she smiled brightly at the sight of them.

"Kou-san, how are you this fine morning?" She asked cheerily.

Kou had the decency to blush, Akihito realized and he had to hold in a snort.

"Hi, Asuka-san, I'm fine."

Akihito watched as she took Kou's prescription before looking at him.

"Is this a friend of yours?"

She held out her hand to him and Akihito gave her his prescription.

"Yes, this a very good friend of mine, Takaba Akihito."

Akihito nodded in her general direction.

"Nice to meet you, Takaba-san, I'll be your pharmacist from now on."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Take a seat on the bench and I'll call your names when your prescriptions are ready."

The woman smiled before walking away from the counter and Akihito just had a shift of feeling wash over him. He couldn't explain his sudden unease, but he willfully buried it because he couldn't see what he had to worry about. It wasn't like anything out of the ordinary had happened to him today after all and they weren't being followed, he made sure of it.

"Cute, isn't she?" Kou asked with his eyes transfixed on the little window where Asuka was visible, smile bright and eyes laughing.

"Yeah, she's really cute," Akihito conceded warily. He kept forcing himself to stop feeling like he was. When the time came for their prescriptions, the woman waved them over instead of calling out their names like other people.

"Here you two are." She handed them each a small, brown paperbag before holding up their prescriptions for them to see. "You have two more repeats, Takaba-san and you have three, Kou."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Asuka-chan."

Kou's eyes widened at his slip-up and Akihito laughed, looking at Asuka who was smiling shyly.

"Well, I guess I'll be -chan from now on then, but only for you, Kou-_chan_."

Akihito keeled over from Kou's stuttered, red faced response. These two would be a really cute riot.

********VF*******

"Oh fuck…Asami!" Akihito moaned out loud. He was in Asami's bed, in the doggy position with his face buried in the pillows and his hands pulling both ass cheeks apart so Asami could see himself fucking into him. The man's grip on his hips was bruising and he couldn't stop the litany of his voiced desires for more and harder. The sex with Asami was pure exaltation each and every time. There was a special bond created that went farther than compatible pheromones because they were _mates_ every time they were in each other's close company. Every time Asami came inside and knotted him; it became less painful and much more pleasurable and he swore he could feel it down to his core.

"Harder," Akihito moaned as Asami grinded into his ass harshly, not able to control his own rhythm from the pleasure wracking his body.

Asami pulled out and took him by the arm, maneuvering him until he was on his back, legs thrown widely apart and back with both Asami's hands planted on the rear of his knees, keeping him exposed. It was similar to the position Asami had him before penetration, when he had to keep his legs wide open so Asami could use his tongue and lick flat, broad strokes along his rim until he was begging to be fucked. It was a force of nature, that tongue, and he would be making full use of it more. He looked the man in eyes, clouded over with lust and ravenousness; with soul bearing need. Asami wanted to feel him just as much as he wanted to be felt and it sent a shiver of pleasure through his body each time. It was magical when they mated.

Akihito hissed as Asami penetrated him again, looking down at that huge cock entering him before he threw his head back at the sensation. Asami settled snuggly between his legs after he was fully inside and they shared a warm, passionate kiss. His pre-come leaking length rubbed sticky between their stomachs and as Asami fucked into him, he silently begged to be touched where it would matter most for him to come.

Asami complied, leaning on his right elbow and using his left hand to jack him off, staring into his eyes all the time while he moaned and pleaded with his body and voice for the pleasure only his mate can deliver.

"Going to taste you, fuck you, then knot you, Akihito…"

When Asami talked like that, Akihito felt it down to his core. The feelings in those words hearkened to the vibrations of ecstasy and seduction like a sensitized touch to his soul. He can't help how he feels when he's with Asami in bed; so awake and complete and just alive. He comes first, then Asami knotted him and they just laid there together in each other's arms for the duration of their coupling, until Asami's body released him and he's able to move.

Akihito hissed when Asami managed to pull out. "Shit." He cursed at the amount of semen leaving his body to settle on Asami's bed. The man didn't mind though, he would have the sheets washed later after all. Feeling the need to shower but holding off since Asami was heading to the bathroom first, Akihito reached for his suppressants, popped two of the pills as per his regular dose and then relaxed back into the bed, not noticing that Asami was watching him intently.

Asami turned away and headed into the bathroom when Akihito relaxed on the pillow and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

When the man re-emerged a few moments later with a towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets running down the hard ridges of his body, Akihito tried his best to ignore the erection inducing sight and took a shower of his own. When he came out, Asami was on the bed, half dressed with no shirt on.

"I ordered food."

Asami was smoking a cigarette and for some reason it made him feel sick to his stomach when normally it wasn't a problem. "Put that out, it's making me ill and what did you get?"

Ruffling his wet hair, Akihito walked over to the bed and Asami scooted over so he could sit beside him. The tray with the covered food was on a small, portable eating table beside the bed and when Akihito pulled the cover back he was hit with the strong, suddenly rancid smell of stewed pork. He covered his nose suddenly and turned his head away, trying hard not to gag. "Oh my god, that's nasty."

Asami sat up suddenly, eyes narrowing as his senses tunnel vision on to his mate. He was suspicious from the cigarette comment, but this one was like a nail in the peripheral coffin. "You love pork, Akihito."

Akihito held his breath and tried hard not to breathe in the smell of the food after replacing the cover. He held his stomach as it churned unpleasantly. "I know, but this one smells really bad. Maybe I caught a stomach bug or something."

"…or something," Asami muttered under his breath, watching Akihito intently, especially the hand he had rubbing his stomach. Could it already be happening?

"Look, forget the food, I'll grab ramen from the shop down the road anyway. I've gotta go home first then head to work."

Akihito stood, made two steps towards the door to get his shoes and was imminently surprised when he was grabbed from behind and pulled back until his face was buried in Asami's chest with the man's strong arms wrapped around him in a tight hug.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Akihito's eyes were wide with surprise since Asami had never tried to be too intimate after their mating since that one time he tried and it broke out into a huge argument. It's not like he wanted the man's affection beyond the basic that his body craved and things like these always set him off because in the end, he didn't want to get more attached than necessary to a man he felt shouldn't be on the streets, no matter the paradox of his feelings. Asami's question broke him out of his thoughts though and he brought his hands up before pushing Asami away. "What do you mean where am I going?"

Asami man-handled him into his arms while he tried to hard to fight his way out of the man's grip, but to no avail.

"Stay here with me tonight."

Akihito stilled and his eyes widened. He pulled his head back to look Asami in the eyes and his heart fluttered at the soft, concerned gaze that met him back. So uncharacteristic of Asami. But… "No, I have to get to work, I don't want to stay here if I don't have to."

Akihito turned his back to leave, not really wanting to but felt he must. God he wanted to, he felt it was right to just lay here in Asami's arms if he asked, but then Asami would eventually bring up getting him pregnant and like times before that would break his mood. Asami just didn't want to accept Akihito's stance on their differing lives and what it means to him. He gasped once again when Asami grabbed him with one hand, holding him in place across his chest while the other snaked into his pants and started fondling his genitals. Asami trailed his hot tongue up the back of his neck before biting on the shell of his ear lightly and he shivered with renewed need.

"Stay here, so I can fuck you until I'm satisfied. I want to feel you here…" Akihito gasped when the hand on his cock suddenly probed his used anus. "…my mate…I want all of you again and then you can go."

Akihito closed his eyes and willed his breathing to even out. Asami just had this effect on him, being his mate and all. "A quickie."

Asami smirked. He would be fucking Akihito until he couldn't move, keeping him with him for as long as possible because if what he thought was happening was a reality, then he'd have to find better ways to keep his lover beside him and out of harm's way.

Knowing Akihito, he'll have his hands full doing it.

********VF*******

"Hey Aki, the sushi's awesome! Why haven't you eaten any yet?"

Akihito groaned before putting his head on the cool wooden table of the restaurant/bar where he was having a late group dinner with his friends and other acquaintances. They normally did this on a Friday night when they all got paid and even the beer that he was nursing –his favorite- just didn't taste the same as before.

"Yeah Aki, we normally have to keep you away from the sushi bar to get some. You look a little sick though, you alright?"

Kou sipped his beer after sitting and Akihito looked between him and Takato restlessly. His stomach's been doing flips since he got here. "I might have a stomach bug, I'm sure I'll be fine eventually."

His friends watched him warily and Akihito just put his head back on the table and sighed. It was cool and he felt hot.

"Are you sure, Aki? I mean, you've been like this all week. Have you taken something for it?" Kou asked concerned.

"Yeah, over the counter stomach medication." Akihito patted his right jacket pocket where the medicine was.

"You had any yet?" Takato asked.

"Yeah, shortly after I got here."

Kou leaned on the table and laced his fingers together, watching Akihito intently. "We've been here 45 minutes already and it hasn't kicked in yet?"

Akihito lifted his head and shook it. "No, not much anyway."

"Want to go home and sleep it off?" Takato asked.

Akihito smiled. "That would be a very good idea."

Kou was the one who followed Akihito to the door while Takato informed the others of their departure.

Terms of endearment and well wishes were directed at Akihito and he smiled and waved at the group. When Takato caught up to him, they walked outside and when the cool, crisp air hit his nostrils and heated skin, Akihito felt fifty times better already. "Wow, maybe all I needed was some fresh air?"

The other two chuckled and Akihito pushed his hands into his jacket pocket before turning to walk down the street. After taking about two steps, a deep voice called out his name suddenly and he stopped, frozen in his tracks.

"Takaba-san."

Akihito closed his eyes and prayed to every deity he knew that he was imagining that voice, not turning around to acknowledge the man or the situation.

"Takaba-san, you're presence is needed."

"Aki?" The concern was heightened in Kou's voice and when Akihito turned around to look at his friends, he could see the deep questions in their eyes at the sight of Kirishima; tall, intimidating Kirishima.

"Not right now." Akihito quipped at the man parked a few meters behind them, who was standing behind the opened driver's door of Asami's favorite limousine. He knew Asami wasn't in the vehicle because he would have felt him, so he turned back to his friends and in a nonchalant voice said, "It's nothing, this is just a guy I work with, I'm not in any problems."

He smiled when both friends' shoulders visibly relaxed. Seriously? Recently Asami had been even more under his skin like a ticks and it grated on his nerves. Asami suddenly wanted to know everywhere he was if he couldn't keep him in his line of sight and it was getting to him. Asami knew he didn't like to be caged or kept under watch, it made him feel aggravated and right now he felt like he could turn around and scream at Kirishima to leave him the hell alone.

"It's in your best interest, Takaba-san, I think…"

"He's _not_ going with you. Didn't you hear him?" Kou quipped suddenly.

"Yeah, he's sick and he's going home to rest. Come on Aki," Takato directed at Kirishima too, who just stood there watching them as they turned and walked away. Akihito smiled, knowing that that was a victory for him and a loss for Asami. He grinned the entire way home with his friends.

********VF*******

"Why not, Hiro-sensei?" Akihito whined into his cell phone, talking to the Chief Editor who hadn't called him in three weeks! He was on his living room couch in boxers and a thin t-shirt with his cell phone stuck to his ears, trying to get some work. His money and stock level was almost depleted –goddamn cobwebs were in his pantry- and right now he needed some work badly. He had no idea why his regular contacts weren't calling and new contacts acted as if they wanted nothing to do with him, not even hearing him out once they knew his name. It was like there was a 'don't hire me or else' sign painted on his forehead and back and he couldn't figure out why.

_"So far, we've come across nothing that requires your expertise, Takaba-san. I'm sorry."_

Akihito could hear the regret in the man's voice and he knew something out of the ordinary was up. It wasn't like Hiro-sensei to behave so regrettably, whether he had work available or not. Besides, Hiro-sensei was one of few who would look past his omega status and hire him for his talent. The other editors had already given him the cold shoulder, _all_ of them.

"I don't understand…I need to work, I'm almost out of money and I have bills to pay. You sound like you want to give me work but something's holding you back…"

Hiro-sensei made a long suffering sigh on the other end of the phone and Akihito could feel his pulse rate increasing in expectation. If this man couldn't help him, then he would most likely starve because there's no way he'll ever ask Asami for a dime; he didn't want to be indebted to the man in any way, shape or form.

_"Look, Takaba-san, I really want to help, I honestly do but I can't."_

"Why? What's hanging over you and everybody else's head that you're afraid to give me work?"

_"I'm sorry, Takaba-san…"_

"Hiro-sensei!"

Akihito was met with the dropped call tone of his cell phone and he stared at the device disbelievingly before throwing it down on the couch beside him.

"Shit." He cursed as he threw himself back and rubbed his hands over in his face in exasperation, wondering what he was going to do now.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door and when he went to answer it, he was overly surprised to see Asami standing there in his doorway, hair and clothes wet from the raining falling lightly outside.

"W…what the hell are you doing here?" Akihito asked suddenly, poking his head outside and looking down both ends of the hall to see if anybody was watching Asami. Such a top class man standing in a less than stellar apartment building was bound to attract attention if anybody was out. "What the hell are you thinking showing up at my place like this?"

Asami smiled thinly. "You'll find out if you let me in."

Akihito grabbed the man by the arm and yanked him inside his apartment before bolting the door shut. Then he turned to face an unfazed Asami. "What the hell is wrong with you? What if somebody saw you coming in to my apartment building?"

Asami threw his coat on the coat-rack before eyeing the small apartment thoroughly; taking in his lover's living quarters. "This where you live?"

Akihito could feel the need building in his body from the man's proximity and he tried to force the feeling down as much as possible. He followed behind Asami apprehensively as the man toured his small 1DK apartment.

"Yeah, this is all mine."

"There's only one bedroom," Asami commented off hand when he passed the door.

Akihito frowned. "Yeah, so? It's what I can afford since I don't have a steady job."

Akihito couldn't fathom why he felt the need to answer Asami in the first place, except, well, the man seemed genuinely curious. When Asami reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, he felt something like embarrassment run through him. Why did Asami have to come inspect at a time when he was at his lowest?

"You're fridge is empty." Asami stood and opened the small wooden cupboards over the sink and looked inside, a deep frown marring his features. "So is your pantry."

Akihito sighed irritably. "What are you here searching for anyway? I can't buy food if I don't work and for some strange reason I'm suddenly not getting any. As soon as I find a job, I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

He could tell Asami was watching him and he turned his head away, not wanting to see pity in the man's eyes. He can do this on his own, he knows he can.

"Come live with me, I'll look after you."

Akihito's head snapped up so fast he wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly developed whiplash, and he was so certain he would see Asami laughing, because that couldn't have been anything other than a joke. His eyes widened when he realized the man was serious.

"Are you fucking crazy? Me, live with you?! Not even if my life depended on it. You're one of the shadiest business men in all of Japan and that would make me what, your shady mistress?"

"No, _my mate_." Asami growled after shutting the pantry door with too much force.

"You're…" Akihito scoffed in disbelief before running a hand through his hair with the other planted firmly on his hip. "Being your mate doesn't give you the right to sole ownership over me. I'm still a person with my own needs and beliefs and they just don't match with yours at all."

Asami got all up in Akihito's personal space, obviously agitated and Akihito didn't back down, returning each of Asami's intense gazes with more of the same.

"And what are my beliefs exactly, Akihito?"

That question stunned Akihito into silence. The truth of the matter was he had no idea because he hadn't cared to find out before. He had no sure-fire way of answering that question. "We live in different worlds and want different things."

Akihito knew that answer was weak and as soon as it past his lips he turned to walk away, only to have Asami grab him and turn him around to look into his eyes. His stomach fluttered restlessly.

"That wasn't a valid answer."

And in that moment Akihito became acutely aware of Asami's lips on his, tasting and taking and sucking on his tongue ardently until he couldn't escape and wanted more. Asami backed him into a wall, pinned his arms over his head with one of his larger hands, binding his wrists together and just like that, the one, ultimate truth between them was revealed like countless times before. Their body spoke for them; they would be mates for life.

"I'm not living with you." Akihito panted out the words half-heartedly as Asami kissed from his neck down to his navel, then back up until he was latched on to both nipples in turn, which hardened to little pebbles on Asami's tongue while sending jolts of pleasure straight down to his already engorged length.

"You can't live without me," Asami husked out before biting lightly on his right nipple, then he trailed his hot tongue up to meet his lips in a kiss once again and when his arms were released, Akihito wrapped them both around Asami's neck while his legs followed suit around the man's hips.

Akihito had no answer, except the heat was getting to his head at the moment. He moaned in pleasure when Asami fingered him.

"So wet for me."

"P…please…" begged after the second finger. He was so hard it was borderline painful and he needed to feel Asami inside him; he wanted to feel him from the inside.

********VF*******

Later in the night, Akihito had too much food because Asami had ordered Chinese take-out, ramen, rice balls, donburi and easily digestible rice porridge (Asami's words, not his) with a gallon of pasteurized milk. He hardly ate anything, except the rice porridge and then Asami ordered dangos and two boxes of pocky when he mentioned craving something sweet. The pocky of course was finished in one sitting with a really tall glass of cold milk, which he never knew could taste so good since he wasn't too fond of it before now. He'd had another craving though which sadly, Asami didn't want to seem to fulfill.

"Why didn't you order fish?"

"It isn't good for you, high mercury levels," Asami answered while he took a few bites of the take-out, crowding in Akihito on his small bed.

Akihito almost snorted milk through his nose. "You sound like a dietician. Who cares about mercury, I've always ate fish and never felt sick."

"It's not only you I'm worried about." Asami said the words lowly while he stuffed some fried rice into his mouth.

Akihito stopped what he was doing to look at Asami, not hearing him properly. "What?"

"Nothing. You need to take better care of yourself, get some rest."

He stared at the man like he'd lost his head and told him as much.

Asami smirked.

Akihito looked around his bed and the night stand and even the floor that had food covering it. "What the hell am I suppose to do with so much food?"

"Whatever you can't eat goes in the refrigerator." Asami answered while he got dressed to leave.

"My fridge isn't big enough to hold all of this! I just can't see why you'd order so much."

"So you'll have enough to eat, you'll need it. I'll buy you a bigger fridge too."

"I'll be able to buy my own stuff as soon as I get a job, due tomorrow, thank you very much; I don't need you to take care of me." Akihito was fibbing about the work but Asami didn't need to know that, did he?

Asami didn't answer, except to tell him he was leaving when he was ready. Akihito didn't follow him to the door and Asami didn't seem to expect him to. When he heard the front door click shut, he took out his phone and called Kou and Takato on two-way. "Hey guys, I have too much food, wanna come over?"

********VF*******

Early the next morning, with sleep still in his eyes and his body feeling worse for wear, Akihito opened his front door to the sight of Kirishima and Suoh both standing there with their hands full of grocery bags.

ldquo;I told him I didn't want his pity." He tried to slam the door shut but the men blocked it with a foot before shoving into his apartment and making their way to the kitchen.

"You need to always have nutritious food on hand," Kirishima admonished lighty while he and his partner unloaded the bags of their contents before putting them in their proper places.

Akihito only glanced at the men before he wrapped himself in a blanket on the couch while watching TV. His stomach was acting up again and he'd vomited twice that morning. He wasn't feeling too hot last night while his friend were over either and they made a fuss about his constant sickness before he fed them with Asami's food then kicked them out. He didn't want to go to a doctor, he would probably feel fine soon anyways.

"Here."

Akihito opened his eyes at the sound of Kirishima's voice, looking warily at the tea cup handed to him. He sat up and asked, "What it is?"

"Ginger." Kirishima answered. "Natural remedy for settling upset stomach."

Akihito took the cup gratefully and sipped at the tea, surprised when it didn't cause him to feel queasy or nauseous. As a matter of fact, he wasn't so bad after he was through.

He handed Kirishima back the cup. "Thanks."

"Lemon tea is good too. And crackers, you can eat crackers first thing in the mornings…help to absorb some of the acid in your stomach."

Akihito looked at the man skeptically before chuckling. "Seems you know more about what's wrong with me than I do."

Kirishima said nothing. If only Takaba knew exactly what was wrong with him. He watched the younger man put his head back down to rest before finishing up what his boss instructed him to do, especially since their private lives were none of his business.

********VF*******

"Morning, Asuka-chan!"

Kou sounded exceptionally loud today and Akihito resisted the urge to shield his ears. He was hardly sick anymore, but he was still sensitive and he figured it was from getting over the bug. Kirishima's lemon and ginger tea recipe from a few days ago worked wonders.

They came down to the pharmacy to restock on their prescriptions and Akihito was positive by now that the two were an item. He vaguely wondered how Kou would react if he found himself an alpha mate, male or female, later. Would his friend be able to leave his beta girlfriend?

"Kou-chan, Takaba-san!" The woman had sent off her last customer before she called out to them and Akihito smiled before waving in greeting.

"Asuka-chan, how about lunch today?" Kou asked when they came up to the window.

She took their prescriptions before frowning adorably. "Sorry, chan-chan, I have a very important meeting today. How about tomorrow?"

Kou blushed while pouting and Akihito snickered behind his hand. The two could be so funny at times.

"Fine. Ramen at the shop down the block?"

"It's a deal."

Akihito just stood there listening to and watching the two. When he got his meds back he mocked Kou all the way back to his apartment.

Later that day, Kirishima had shown up, _again_, with bags of groceries after days of the same and it was pissing Akihito off royally at this point. Once or twice he didn't have a problem with, but this was getting out of hand. Did Asami think he needed his handouts although photojournalist work had stopped coming his way for weeks now? He decided he would find the man at his club, where he usually was most days now, and give him a piece of his mind. Not only were Asami's men invading his home, but they were invading his privacy too and he needed it to stop right now. He needed to get to the root of the problem, which was Asami himself. Grabbing his keys, he slipped out of the apartment without informing Kirishima of his absence before grabbing a taxi from the side of the street.

Standing across the road from the entrance to the club fifteen minutes later, Akihito was about to cross when he spotted Asami heading towards a car parked to the side of the building. He stopped dead in his tracks, frozen as the woman Asami was escorting to her car he realized he knew. It was Asuka, his pharmacist and whatever she'd said to Asami, he seemed mighty contemplative.

Now, he wasn't sure about confronting the man and he held back, ducking behind a light post and watching inconspicuously as the two stood by the woman's car and chatted for a bit. What the living hell his pharmacist could be doing with a man like Asami he had no clue, but it set off all kinds of warning bells in his head about the woman he trusted with his medication; the same medication that was suppose to make sure he couldn't be bred. Without realizing it, Akihito had the small bottle of pills in his hands. Taking his eyes off the two for a moment, he opened the bottle and took out one of the capsules, holding it up at eye level so he could inspect it closely. He didn't see anything different about the pills, even the initials and indentation on the underside were the same. It did very little to alleviate his worries though and his mind went back to a very uncomfortable conversation he'd had with his friends the night they'd come over days ago.

_"You know, Aki, I could swear you have the symptoms of a pregnant person." Takato started._

_Kou nodded eagerly in agreement. "Yeah, Aki. Morning sickness? Food sickness? Extra pocky cravings - if that's even possible, and Fatigue?"_

_Akihito doubled over with laughter because he knew his friends were imagining things. "Listen, guys, there's no way that's possible. I'm taking suppressants, remember? I'm just sick for now, I'll get better soon. And stop calling it 'morning sickness' Kou, I just have random bouts of nausea throughout the day."_

_"Why don't you go to a doctor and get checked out just in case? Besides, we know you're mating even if we don't know with who, your scent has changed." Takato said, picking at the food they sat around idly._

_"Yeah, Aki. Just a simple test, it won't take long and if it's just sickness, then the doctor can prescribe something to make you feel better," Kou added, not looking him in the eyes._

_Akihito felt really uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. It was obvious his friends believed he was pregnant, even if they didn't want to say it outright. He stood suddenly and said, "Look, you two have to go now. I'm going job hunting tomorrow and need to get some rest."_

_His friends had protested but he'd insisted on their departure and now Akihito had his suspicions about his own state, he just didn't want to find out because it _should not_ be possible. Getting pregnant for Asami was not an option no matter how much basic instincts was telling him to breed for his alpha, and he steadfastly refused to believe it could happen while he took measures to make sure it didn't._

_Normally for an omega, the need to get bred by their one true mate was ingrained and usually their body became more receptive via hormone changes to accommodate this basic instinct. He knew that for an alpha like Asami the reverse was true, the man's instinct to mate and breed and mark and possess heightened exponentially because he found his mate, but Akihito didn't want to be defined by his body, social stratification or societal expectations._

_So why was he so afraid to get the means and get checked out?_

Akihito wasn't sure when or how or even why, but his mind was telling him to go to the doctor. Asami was a powerful man with money and that meant he could make almost anything happen, including getting him pregnant despite his refusal to be tied to the man with children. He liked their current arrangement, all the hot sex and heated down time, but children were a complication he wasn't ready for yet. He wanted to love Asami, not just tolerate him, first. He'd learned things about Asami though in the short time spent with the man, like that one time he overheard a phone conversation where Asami had acquired land illegally. He knew it must have been illegally because that land was government property which meant it should never have been on the market in the first place. He'd heard rumors too of a time before he knew Asami about the man using scientists to create a drug that altered the chemicals in a man's body. The man's scent changed without him realizing it and when he got home his Rottweiler ripped him to shreds.

The more he thought about it the more his hands shook and his heart raced. His stomach was becoming unsettled with anticipation and fear and he made up his mind to at least do a pregnancy test. He still refused to believe he could be carrying but the seed of doubt had been planted and if h didn't et to the bottom of it soon, he was afraid it might drive him insane.


	5. Chapter 5

Akihito's hands and knees shook and his heart raced in anticipation and fear as the white, plastic stick strip confirmed his worst fear; ||.

His mind raced a mile a minute as to the when and the how. The strip slipped from his fingers to hit the wooden floor of the bathroom while he sat on the toilet and it felt like his life has literally halted in this moment.

_Holy hell I'm pregnant!_

Something churned in Akihito's stomach as he admitted it to himself for the first time, chasing on the heels of the knowledge and it left a bad taste in his mouth and a hollowed out feeling in his gut. The thought had him resting a palm flatly against what his mind perceived as the hard bump of his lower abdomen, even though some part of him still fought to deny the evidence.

"No, No." Akihito muttered in anguish, holding his head in his hands in a bid to protect himself from the maelstrom of emotions rampant up in there. He had not prepared for this, he was just 19 with his life ahead of him, he had not accounted for being derailed by children, at least not yet. He had his life to sort out, expectations to meet and goals to set and achieve, half of which would just be derailed or destroyed when he had others to think about, _focus on_ but himself; others of his own making.

"Nono_no_!" Akihito's body slumped forward and he rested his hands on his knees at the life altering state he now found himself in, shoulders beginning to hurt from the tension. These strip tests were 99% effective anyway, maybe he would be a lucky part of the remaining 1% and this would all be a fluke…? Except, he felt strongly it wasn't, because like his friends said - fatigue, food sickness/cravings and nausea…? His vision blurred from the onset of tears and he resolved that a drop would not fall, not for Asami and his manipulative ways. The betrayal was like a physical pull on his heart strings, he'd said no and Asami did what he felt like regardless. Wiping at his eyes and nose with his hand, Akihito stood and took steps on unsteady legs out to his living room. He turned back before throwing the pregnancy test in the bathroom's small waste-bin, feeling tears threaten to fall again at the colored parallel lines on the strip. His anguish slowly transformed into anger at Asami's shorthanded and wayward tactics. What was the man trying to prove? He needed answers tonight, _right now_, and he angrily grabbed the strip back out of the waste-bin before putting it in a small clear plastic bag he had in the kitchen. He would confront Asami about this and demand answers, not caring where the man was or what he was doing.

Cursing, he grabbed his jacket and shoved his hands inside before slipping on his shoes with the evidence held in his right palm. He flung the door open and was about to step out when he bumped into Takato, who had his right fist up in a poise to knock with Kou standing by his side.

"Hey Aki, how are you? We brought you fresh water fish to eat!" Kou chirped happily.

When his friend held up the Styrofoam plate covered by tin foil to his face Akihito had to cover his nose and turn his head away, almost gagging at the retched smell attacking his nostrils.

"Oh god, Kou, put it away." Akihito griped.

Takato was the one to put Kou's hands down at Akihito's reaction and he looked at his friend with concerned eyes. "Sorry, Aki, we didn't know you would be allergic to cooked fish too." Then Kou really took him in from head to toe. "Wait, are you going somewhere? We thought a movie night in would be good."

"Yeah, we have Dark Knight Rises."

Kou shoved the plastic case of the DVD in his face and Akihito resisted the urge to tell his friend to go away, he wasn't in the mood. He pushed past the two to stand in the hallway before turning to them in exasperation. "Look, I have some very important business to deal with, like very urgent. You guys go inside and watch the movie, I might come back later after I'm done."

Akihito turned on his heels and walked away and Takato didn't miss the pregnancy test in a clear plastic bag Akihito had shoved down into his jacket pocket. He could feel it in his gut that his friend was in a world of trouble (because when wasn't he in trouble?) and as Akihito walked away, he made up his mind to follow him…just in case.

*******VF*******

Asami wasn't having too good of a night. On one hand, a representative from the Japan National bank who was to wire a lump-sum of money from his secondary account to an auto repair business he'd established in Vietnam to filter drug money through to launderers in the UK, had closed the day without doing what he'd asked. Now that he'd missed the deadline, the receiving party charged a 20% per day interest rate. The dry cleaning was late and Kirishima kept reporting that his lover would not settle and keep his mind and body steady, that he'd left the apartment earlier, heading here. He didn't see him at all, but he trusted Kirishima's report so he figured Akihito must have changed his mind. Later reports confirmed a pharmacy, then home.

Asami chuckled to himself at the imagery of Akihito standing too long in the pharmacy aisle because he couldn't make up his mind between Pepto-bismol and Maalox.

Still, Asami had contemplated telling Akihito what he'd done, but the kid's temper would flare like a fireworks show in the summer festival, and he didn't want to spring it on him suddenly and cause a bad reaction that might be harmful to the fetus. Not that he didn't expect Akihito to be finding out soon (it's his body, after all), but he wanted to cushion it as much as possible. Despite Akihito's vehemence in not having children and living his life, Asami knew he didn't want to accept that, especially when in his world, tomorrow wasn't promised to anybody. It was kill or be killed, rise to the top of the food chain or become the next meal and right now he wanted to experience all his mate had to offer; his family. No, theirs.

It might not be the ideal situation for Akihito, but it was an integral part in the bonding of mates when it boils down to it. He knots to impregnate, Akihito gets knotted to conceive. And Akihito should feel the need to conceive just like he feels the need to knot him and have his own family. Why the blond was fighting nature was beyond him, even if he loves that independent and head-strong spirit otherwise. Being mates meant their bond was stronger than any adhesive and sturdier than any bind; as inextricably linked as two sides of a coin. He wants children.

He's expecting a blow up sooner rather than later and he anticipates the moment when Akihito will blow into his presence like a tornado and wreak havoc. He's not disappointed less than five minutes later when the blond stalked into office with Kirishima on his heels, who stopped by the door and watched them over the rim of his reading glasses. Akihito was pissy and in a very foul mood and he noticed when something in plastic was thrown on his desk, clattering against the hard wood and stationery before it stopped on top of the report he was reading. He glanced at it briefly before leaning back in his leather chair and fixing his gaze on his irate mate.

Akihito just stood there, watching him with murderous, shocked and betrayed eyes while he drew in deep breaths, seemingly contemplating what he wanted to say. Knowing his lover's temperament, he's just the tiniest bit surprised when he's asked "Why?" in a voice belying Akihito's tiredness at asking the same questions over and over in his head, probably imagining blowing up or shooting or stabbing or gauging his eyes out enough times to be too tired at the appointed time to do either.

Akihito's body was tense, never letting down his guard while he awaits an answer and the first thing Asami does is dismiss Kirishima from their presence. He doesn't smirk or leer or jest like other times when Akihito approached him in such a manner; this is quite the serious situation. "Because it's what I want, apparently."

The 'it's what you should want too' was implied, but left unsaid.

Asami looked down at the pregnancy strip proving what he'd known all along. What he knows Akihito suspected at the very least and didn't want to admit to himself. Akihito's gaze was accusatory and dark and Asami felt he's dealing with too much emotions, pushing his body in ways that may be harmful and it is not what Asami wanted; he wanted Akihito to accept and get over this soon.

"What you want…?" Akihito asked incredulously before stepping closer to his desk and slapping both hands down on the hard surface, the sound reverberating off the office walls like a gavel at sentencing. "Who gives a _fuck_ what you want when it's my body you're fucking with!?"

Asami pushed his chair back and stood, watching Akihito as his demeanor flickered between despondency, disbelief and flat out rage. He wanted to hold him and tell him to calm down, but he stopped a few meters away and kept his hands to himself because you do not approach a skittish, cornered animal without repercussions, so he squared his shoulders before staring hard into his mate's eyes…his mate who normally couldn't control his body's reaction around him and would go into pre-heat at even a whiff of his cologne. Guess Adrenaline knocked good endorphins and pheromones out of that race.

"It's your body, you're absolutely right, Akihito." No use getting Akihito riled up worse than he was, he has all right to be mad after all. The thing was, Asami didn't feel too much emotion (a tinge of guilt at least) about what was taking place now because Akihito was pregnant and he would have _his_ family like he wanted.

"How did you do it?" The blond then asked sharply, accusation sharp like a razor's edge.

The truth would do just fine. "All that throwing up and sweating? I purged your system with a hormone cocktail the first day you were here."

Akihito scoffed, looking absolutely murderous and Asami stood his ground, waiting for the next action/reaction.

Akihito's eyes slitted and his nostrils flared when he asked. "That's not all, how does Asuka and my medication fit into this? Because I've been taking the pills for months now so your purge shouldn't have affected me!"

So Akihito saw her? Asami was hoping to get rid of her before his mate arrived. He didn't realize that plan had gone south. No use lying about that either, better to lay it bare and clear the air between them right now. "She works for me."

Akihito busted out a short, hysterical laugh before he looked down at his right hand that held the small bottle of pills. He didn't need any more explanation than that. He pulled the cap off and emptied the contents all over Asami's desk, never taking his watery eyes off the man before saying. "So she fed me useless crap and threw a wrench in my life because you told her to…?"

"I pay her."

"AND THAT'S SUPPOSE TO MAKE IT FUCKING BETTER!?"

Asami wasn't startled by Akihito's paroxysm, nor the paperweight that barely missed his head when Akihito grabbed it and threw it in his sudden burst of fury. but he felt a sliver of fear at what he knew a reaction like that could cost Akihito at the moment; too much of the bad chemical reactions in his body plus stress and they might be minus the newest member of their family. He didn't answer right away because he knew in such a vulnerable state for Akihito, there's nothing right he could say anyway. So, he took a long stride to grab and hold his quivering Akihito in the hope that his touch would sooth and calm, only to be pushed back and avoided like a plague.

Akihito took a deep breath and backed away, wiping crossly at the tears in his eyes. "Don't _touch_ me."

Asami stood stock still, not liking the sight before him one bit. He was expecting it, but the reality was so much worse. He knew things would be different with his mate, he had way more feelings and now it was sort of foreign, to realize that he would care _so _deeply when before he couldn't bring himself to even give a damn about his partners. It caused his chest to tighten a little bit that he's the cause of Akihito's despair, even if he's getting what he wants out of it in a song and dance of disregard he'd performed too many times to count. "I want to have a family with you, Akihito."

It was the utmost truth.

Akihito chuckled mirthlessly, looked him in the eyes and then hugged his own body close with both hands before spitting out, "I don't want to have one with you, you selfish, arrogant asshole! I told you I didn't want…I wasn't ready yet and what do you do? You never got consent and you sure as hell don't respect me…"

Asami took a small step closer, not wanting to startle Akihito into rebelling further for _their_ own good. He just wanted this rambunctious encounter to end. "I took what I wanted without permission…"

Akihito had this glower in his eyes that screamed 'Damn right you did!' and Asami hoped admitting his mistake was a score on his 'good card'. Heavens knew he needed more of those to get back into Akihito's good book. He realized he was taking Akihito's independence seriously, because he could stop the blond's tirade at a single command with insurmountable heat. Pheromones, endorphins, hormones…he could trigger them all in Akihito and make him forget about everything except his cock and how much he needs it, but he doesn't want to break that indomitable spirit since for him, that head-strong, strong-willed personality was a colossal bonus… and so damn rare…in _any_ Omega.

He wanted all of Akihito…willfulness and all.

"And you fucked me over in ways I never expected you to as my mate. What about my ca…?" And then something dawned in Akihito's expression as his face went slack and his mouth parted in realization. His eyes narrowed and then he pointed an accusing finger, asking, "You're the reason I can't get any work, aren't you? Only you would have the power to pull it off so quickly! Getting me pregnant when I expressly said I didn't want to wasn't enough, was it? You wanted me to depend solely on you so you can control me. You thought when you cut off my income I'd become dependent on you for everything, that I'd _become_ _your bitch_ and…!"

"No, it's because I didn't want you to get hurt."

Akihito slammed his mouth shut and blinked in a couple of rapid successions, brain working overtime. His eyes suddenly looked resigned and his body slumped in defeat; looking drained in a way that Asami took to mean he'd found no absolution in the matter, except that he was just tired of it all. Akihito sank down in the leather behind him and put his elbows on his knees with his hands cradling his face and when he whispered brokenly it scorched something deep inside Asami's chest.

"Nothing's ever hurt me as much as you have right now."

Asami swallowed. This was not a part of the plan. He shouldn't be taking that sentence so much to heart like a violin string wound too tight and ready to snap. He took slow, non-startling steps over to the couch before slowly sitting beside his morose lover. He hesitantly raised a hand before softly planting it at the nape of Akihito's neck, feeling the smooth skin radiating too hot to the touch. He fingered at the base root of hairs, which caused a wracking sob from his mate's throat, before his hand went up to card through all the velvety tresses. He unconsciously pulled Akihito's head to his chest, wanting to be the one he leaned on in his time of need, no matter how much he might not deserve it right now. Akihito didn't protest the move and he clung to him like a life-line while tears and sorrow soaked his shirt. He wasn't use to being the comforter, but for his Akihito…

"I didn't consider your feelings at first and I just took what I wanted, it was wrong of me."

Asami doesn't do sorry... For that he's sorry.

Akihito sniffled, talking muffled into his shirt. "You act like you consider my feelings now."

"I do."

Akihito pulled back, wiped at his eyes and schooled his face into a look of nonchalance and determination before looking at Asami straight in the eyes, never backing down. "Too little too late."

Asami only sat and watched as Akihito turned his head, stood and walked right out the door without looking back and he allowed him to leave because he was confident Akihito would be back. If Akihito needed space for now, he would get it.

They're mates and nothing will ever change that fact.

*******VF*******

For all intent and purposes, Akihito had visited Asami's office with the intention to scream and shout and let out his anger and betrayal as much as possible on the perpetrator. He'd seen him, sitting there like the king of the hill and it just let loose an akuma that filled his head with _destroydestroydestroy_ until his headspace was dark and crowded.

And even while he vented he could feel that bone deep ache for mating, because Asami's supposed to make his body and his mind feel good and he himself was supposed to reciprocate. And want it, no, need it…ache for it. Every time they're close their pheromones are suppose to spark like a fuse and draw them into the mating dance; lather, rinse and repeat until the end of life, but he squashed the feeling like a bug before locking it in a cage in his titanium steeled heart. Most mates had cycled heats, but they themselves were a part of the few that went beyond that. Still, he pushed it all back and brought forth the rage and the dark intent.

Somewhere along the way he inherited a fleeting memory of that American movie Kirishima recommended once when he was in a dark mood, _Kill Bill_, because the atmosphere was almost the same.

_Kill Bill(Asami)._

Eventually, everything that happened and everything that was said just left him feeling a bone deep ache that left him the better part of doleful, and he ultimately gave in to the realization that the damage was already done and all he needed to focus on was where will he go from here? What will he do from here on out because Asami even went as far as to make sure he couldn't be hired for photojournalism. When he walked out on Asami, it was with the intention to never look back, to stay focused and driven and to pick up the pieces and put all of this behind him. To try and break the mold of being a submissive omega and living his life independently.

Kirishima bowed when he walked past, but he still kept his head straight. No matter the man gave him recipes and helped him rent good movies on night ins and would even wash his dishes if he himself couldn't bother whenever he came over sometimes. He still kept his head straight and his gaze cold because he just knew…even Kirishima had known he was pregnant and hadn't told him. He'd thought their mutual association was based on…friendship, but no, it was Kirishima's order to keep a watchful eye on Asami's _pregnant _Omega and nothing more. He now saw all friendly gestures from Kirishima as orders instead of solidarity and he hated Asami even more for taking that from him now.

He hated losing friends.

When he stepped outside the club and the crisp, night air hit his nostrils, Akihito shoved his hands in his jackets pockets and inhaled deeply. He bypassed the wealthy patrons lining up to get in and almost stumbled down the two concrete steps leading to the sidewalk. Hands shot out to help balance him and he gasped before looking up at a very concerned Kou and Takato.

"Aki, you alright?"

He wrapped his jacket tightly around his middle before swiping at his eyes quickly and clearing his throat. "Yeah, Takato, I'm fine."

"Sure? You look like shit," Kou said with a frown.

Akihito shook his head and shoved past them, wanting so much to be alone at the moment. Asami really fucked with his head in there and he still had a fetus inside him that he had no idea what he was going to do with. He realized his two friends were close behind him as he walked down the sidewalk.

"Akihito, I know something's wrong, what is it?"

Takato was always the persistent one and right now Akihito didn't appreciate the trait. He took a deep breath and answered without turning around. "I'm fine, just need to clear my head."

"You should be resting and relaxing your body, how about we follow you home?"

Akihito stopped and turned to shoot Takato with a glare. That's something you'd say to a pregnant person. Mentioning home though got Akihito to thinking that if Asami wanted he could find him there and the last thing he wanted was to even smell him right now. Takato lived with his girlfriend so Kou was the next best option. "I said I'm fine and I'm going home with Kou."

Kou pointed a finger at his nose. "Me? Cool!"

"Yeah, let's go." Kou didn't protest when Akihito grabbed his arm and tugged, pulling him down the street towards the bus station.

Takato was quiet as he followed.

*******VF*******

Good sleep wasn't a done deal when Akihito had woken up the next morning in Kou's bed while his friend slept on the couch in his living room. The apartment was a single unit and there was hardly enough space to get around. It was even smaller than Akihito's.

When he came over the night before, Akihito had protested taking the bed, but both Kou and Takato had insisted and would hear nothing otherwise so he gave in right away. The lot of good that did since he wasn't able to shut off his mind the entire time. He felt like he didn't sleep at all. He stretched, feeling some bones snapping into place and a huge yawn escaped him.

He still had no idea how he would work out his predicament with the baby. He kept thinking what to do and couldn't come to a definite conclusion. When he left the bedroom and entered the living room where a kitchenette was set up in a corner, it was to the sight of Kou heating miso soup and Takato making vegetable wraps. He greeted them before plopping down on the couch, grabbing a cushion and hugging it to his stomach before falling on his side tiredly.

"Hey, Aki, just making some breakfast." Kou answered. "Want some miso soup first, or tea?"

"Soup." Akihito answered. When he got the soup, he sat up and took slow sips, until Takato brought the wraps over and they all crowded the couch to eat. When they were done, they sat back languorously and allowed their stomachs to settle.

Takato was the first to break the silence.

"Akihito…?"

Akihito didn't open his eyes. "Mmm?"

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Akihito opened his eyes slowly and kept them forward, contemplating his answer. It's not like he could hide it eventually, and he hated lying to his friends and he wasn't reticent by nature either. He didn't want to do that. "Yeah."

"We weren't sure you found a mate, but we had clues. When did it happen?"

"Couple months."

Kou frowned. "But we've been on our suppressants Aki, so how then…?"

Akihito sighed before rubbing a hand over his face. "It's complicated."

Takato straightened his back and turned fully to face him with a look of suspicion in his eyes. "Complicated how? You were taking them up to recently so what happened?"

Akihito felt a spike of irritation run through him and he swallowed it down with his saliva before answering. "It's between me and my mate, it's none of your business."

He stood from the couch, clearly trying to avoid any more questioning but Takato had to barrel on like a tank on the battlefield, not allowing him to escape in peace.

"Was your mate in that club? Did you tell him you were pregnant and he disowned it? Why did you look like you did last night?"

Akihito balled his fists and took a deep breath before answering tightly. "None of your business, none of your business and none of your_goddamn_ business."

Silence reigned as Akihito walked away.

Half an hour later, Akihito was hiding out in Kou's bedroom when he realized Takato was leaving. As soon as the door clicked shut he got out of bed and went to get some orange juice.

"So…" Kou sighed after flopping down on the couch, running a hand through his shaggy hair and watching Akihito. "…how you feeling?"

Akihito sat with the half empty cup in his hand and exhaled loudly. "Like crap."

"Mmhm, you look like it."

"Yeah."

"Can I ask though?"

"What?"

"You don't seem to be too happy about being pregnant, you planning to keep it?"

Off the top of his head? Honestly? "I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

Akihito shifted the curtain minutely and peered out the window to look at the gray Lexus LF-A sitting across the street. It was early morning, around 7am and the car sat in the shadow of a four story building while the sun started its trek across the bright, blue sky. It was one of Asami's personal cars and he knew Asami wasn't in it, he would have felt him.

That meant Kirishima, more than likely.

It's only been twenty four hours since Akihito has been holed up at Kou's, but it felt like longer because of his current state of affairs. His head felt like a hurricane, a tornado and a volcano had all set up residence. His body felt like it was tied to lead weights and he still couldn't sleep or think with all that was happening. He half expected Asami to show up for some reason…and maybe stake his claim? (likely), or grovel and beg for forgiveness? (unlikely). He felt Kou peering over his shoulder before asking, "That guy still watching you?"

"Yeah."

He felt Kou shrug before pulling back. Apparently, his friend didn't see Kirishima as a threat. "I'm going down to the supermarket for a few things, set the alarm after I leave."

"Fine." Akihito moved from the window and followed Kou to the door, watching while he slipped on his jacket and his shoes. Kou opened the door and stepped out with a simple later. Akihito was going to respond but Kou's cell phone rang and he kept walking while he reached for it and answered.  
Alone, he decided to sit on the couch and watch some TV until his friend got back. Daytime Dramas were running on a few channels and he settled on Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. It was really funny, a school about bishonens and their competition over a guy that was really a girl. He sat there with a cushion in his lap while he stretched out like a cat on the couch.

It wasn't long after Kou left, and he wasn't sure of the time, that he heard the alarm being disengaged.  
Was Kou back already? He figured that maybe he forgot his wallet or something. A burglar wouldn't have known the alarm code…but maybe Asami would? His head shot up in anticipation at the thought, ignoring the part of his conscience telling him that's ridiculous.

Conscience 1-_But didn't he get me pregnant without me knowing? Which is much harder to do than breaking and entering?_

Conscience 2-_Asami? Naaa. It's Kou, who else would it be?_

Conscience 3-_Both?_

The door clicked open in tandem with the beat of his heart against his ribcage and the first thing Akihito noticed was that it was a woman. The second thing he noticed is that it was Asuka, and somewhere deep inside him the slowly burning-out rage flared like a liter of kerosene thrown in a pit of fire. His fingers clench the cushion like he wanted to rip it in half and his teeth gritted hard enough to break.

"Oh, Takaba-san, hi."

She greeted him in her usual saccharine tone when she spotted him lying half reclined in anticipation and Akihito didn't answer. Nothing nice would leave his mouth right now anyway. He felt the heat of fury climbing his neck to settle in his head and all throughout his body.

"I came over to collect a bag, although Kou didn't mention you were here…or I just didn't hear…"

She chuckled before squinting at him, looking closely like she was triaging a patient's condition.

"Are you sick? If you want more suppressants then…"

She reached into her handbag for something, but her mentioning about suppressants sent Akihito's mind down a dark and winding crossroad and before she could say more he clipped angrily. "You're the damn reason I'm like this."

She stilled suddenly, looking at him with wide eyes at his outburst and Akihito got to his feet, fighting the need to…fight.

"W…what?"

Akihito pointed an accusing finger. "I'm pregnant and it's your damn fault!"

Asuka's eyes widened a bit more in realization, but then she dropped everything; her hands, her surprised look, her concern. She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eyes like somebody free of all guilt, like she wasn't an integral part in messing with his body.

"Well, I see you've found out the truth."

Sarcasm dripped like crystallized sugar from Akihito's tongue when he answered. "Yes, courtesy of Asami."

She chuckled. "Well, he is…was the one paying me…" But then her expression changed to regret and forlorn. "…but I guess that now I'll go back to making the meager wages of a regular pharmacist until he finds another use for me."

Akihito's jaw dropped. "You don't even care that I'm pregnant because you gave me fake pills, do you?"

"For the amount of money he paid me? No."

Akihito was stunned speechless. The callousness for his situation in her tone was appalling and majorly upsetting. She walked past him to grab a duffel bag that was sitting on a small table in a corner of the room and right when she was to pass him to head back out she stopped. She didn't look at him when she started speaking again.

"Look, for what it's worth, I made sure he wasn't asking me to poison you when he offered me the job, but you need to understand that I have needs and I needed that money. I don't regret what I did to you because that money helped me pay off a lot of debts so I could get my life under some semblance of control. Besides, if I didn't do it he would have gotten another pharmacist to, and I'm sorry your reaction to getting pregnant is this bad but I can't take any of it back, neither would I want to."

"What about Kou? Was getting with him a part of the deal too?"

At that she shot him a withering glare. There was a deep edge to her tone as she answered. "No, I genuinely care for Kou. If you want to tell him what I did then I can't stop you, but remember that for now, he's happier than he's been in a while. If you want to take that from him, go right ahead."

She left, just like that. Akihito felt hollowed out at her reaction and claims. Could he really blame her though? Because like she said, if Asami didn't use her he would have used somebody else. He knew that and he understood on some level, but he still needed to vent and she was the only other target other than the man himself. But one thing she was right about is that ever since Kou managed to leave his abusive male alpha two years ago, he hasn't connected with anyone on a physical level since then. Could he take this away from Kou, though? As much as his feelings for Asuka was anything but friendly, she made Kou happy, was breaking him out of his reclusive shell and he honestly wasn't sure if he should tattle or not.

Sighing, Akihito sat back heavily on the couch and closed his eyes, wondering how and when he'll be able to get over all this resentment inside him.

0o0~VF~0o0

"Milk and pocky for you…vegetables, I got rice and chicken strips and seaweed. How about  
seaweed soup later? And mushrooms, beans and…"

Akihito had started blocking out the droning Kou after a while. He'd willed himself to just relax, stay calm, forget about Asami and baby and no job and raised gas prices and upcoming elections and world problems. He wanted so badly to go back to a time when he was just a carefree 19yo living his life with a minimum of worry.

"…so what do you think, Aki?"

"W…what?"

He looked over at Kou, who rolled his eyes before coming over to sit beside him.

"I knew you weren't listening. I asked when are you going to see a Doctor?"

Akihito shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Well, you need to no matter what you decide."

Kou was right, he needed to see a Doctor as soon as possible. His friend then stood to head back to the kitchenette.

"Oh, the bag is gone. That means Asuka was here, wasn't she?"

Akihito tensed, answering with a noncommittal "Yeah."

Kou grinned happily before reaching into the last of the grocery bags and pulling something out. "I bought champagne, I'll be heading to her house tomorrow for dinner."

Akihito couldn't bring himself to tell Kou what Asuka did, not when he looked like that. "Am I bothering you? I'll be going home in the morning anyway…"

Kou was quick to reassure him he wasn't a burden in the least and he nodded, still feeling like he was leeching too much from his friend instead of making his way like he should be doing. Besides, Asami hadn't shown up or called once in the two days he's been here. Maybe the man doesn't give a damn anymore? That thought made the dark cloud over his head darken dramatically. How the hell can the man knock him up and then keep his distance like that? He should at least be around for him to take out his frustrations on; the asshole.

0o0~VF~0o0

"No Takato, he's heading home in the morning…no, I told him but he insists. Yes, enjoy your trip to the Mainland, I'll keep an eye on him. Kiss your girl friend for me…"

It was now nighttime and after spending the entire day watching nothing but dramas and cartoons and eating and drinking and taking bathroom breaks, he'd started gathering his things into a single travel bag. Takato had called to check up on him and he could tell Kou wanted him to stay a little longer, but the imposing feeling he got just grew by the hour and whenever Kou talked about Asuka, he became overwhelmed with the need to tell him to shut it…though he didn't.

The breaking point came when Kou suggested that they should all have dinner one evening. If he wasn't 100% comfortable he didn't want to stay here.

"Here, Takato wants to say hi before he hangs up."

Akihito took the phone from Kou and no matter how much he was hurting, he missed his friend. They talked for a bit before hanging up.

"Hey, want some milk? I have about a half cup left in the fridge," Kou suggested.

Akihito shrugged. "Fine." He stuffed the last of his shirt into the bag and zipped it shut. He heard the knock at the front door, but what surprised him was when Kou shouted for him, saying that somebody was here to see him. Heart racing in anticipation, he walked out to the sight of Kirishima standing there at the door, looking as tall and menacing and 'black' as all other times he's seen the man.

"Takaba-san." Kirishima started with an incline of his head as a way of greeting.

"He insists it's important. Says it relates to your health." Kou sounded apologetic, but at the same time concerned.

Akihito walked over and Kou stepped back.

"I was asked to give you this letter, it is of utmost importance."

Akihito took the envelope and eyed it warily while Kirishima bowed again before walking away. When he shut the door, Kou was over his shoulder eyeing the envelope also.

"Well, open it."

Akihito did open it and a few folded pages of white paper fell out, along with a single golden key. Kou grabbed the key and started inspecting it and Akihito opened the papers. His eyes widened when he read it. "What the hell…!?"

Kou snapped his eyes from the key to Akihito's disbelieving face. "What, what is it?" He peered over Akihito's shoulder at the papers before taking them and reading it.

"So…you can't go back to your apartment because health inspectors found massive build up of mold on some parts of the wall that poses a serious health hazard and the key is for your temporary house in…" Kou's eyes widened dramatically. "…AZABU!?"

Akihito felt the onset of a headache and he stumbled towards the couch.

"Azabu…Aki, you can't get more upscale than Azabu, how did you manage to get temporary living arrangements there?!"

Akihito chuckled mirthlessly. "I can take a very good guess."

Kou was still in shock. "Aki, how?"

Akihito knew, without a doubt that Asami was fucking with his life once again. His damn apartment was under quarantine by the city health inspectors. You had to be a dignitary, basically, to live in Azabu. It was the most expensive, upscale residential neighborhood in all of Tokyo, providing housing to a large number of embassies and foreign office workers.

"You know, you can still stay here a while longer if you want…" Kou said, dazed.

"No, no…" Akihito stood and grabbed the key from Kou, pocketing it as he stumbled over his next few words. "I can't…your girlfriend…and…um, I'm leaving tomorrow." He pointed at the letter. "As you can tell, I'll be fine. You can follow me though, just in case, you know? I want you to follow me."

Kou nodded, wondering what Akihito was getting so worked up about. He couldn't force him to stay though, unfortunately. "Ok, I'll follow you. Get some rest, in the morning we'll go."

0o0~VF~0o0

The house was fucking HUGE!

A house, not an apartment but an actual house! With a garden –scratch that, it's gardens- and a driveway and even a guard dog. Kirishima had driven them here, because when Akihito grabbed his bag and Kou followed him down to the bus station, Kirishima had pulled up and practically ordered them inside the car. It was more convenient Akihito decided, so now here they were, driving through automatic gates to pull in front of a two story, five bedroom, three bathroom, three kitchen, living room, tennis court, pool and patio (Kirishima's words), fenced off house with enough yard space to host a circus and still leave some space.

Kou's gasp of awe mirrored Akihito's silence when he took in the sheer expanse of the structure before him. He was actually intimidated by the vast majority of it all and he contemplated saying no and heading back to the city, but for now he had nowhere to go.

"Akihito, holy shit…!" Kou was super excited, apparently.

"This way, Takaba-san."

Kirishima took his bag and walked ahead and Akihito followed close behind, looking around as they moved. There was a pond somewhere off to the right between some trees and he spotted a stream down a slope at the back of the house. When they came upon the front door, Kirishima held out his hand expectantly.

"Oh." Akihito reached for the key in his pocket and handed it over. When they walked inside, the first thing Akihito noticed was the polished, hardwood floor that gleamed like the cleanest mirror. They took off their shoes and slipped on zori slippers before making their way inside.  
Kirishima gave them a short tour of the place for familiarity and while Kou was like a kid that got lost in a candy store, the novelty of the place wore off pretty quickly for Akihito. When he remembered that this is Asami's place and Asami will have access to him any time he pleases, it makes the hackles rise on the back of his neck. Now that he's actually here, he's thinking this might not be such a good idea after all.

"Next, I will show you the master bedroom."

"Hey, Aki, you alright?"

Akihito looked up, forcing a smile at Kou's question. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me."  
Kirishima led them to the largest wooden door down a corridor to the left and when he opened it, Akihito gasped at the sight that greeted him.

"W…wait, is that my stuff?" Akihito couldn't believe his eyes, all of his belongings (as few as they were) from his apartment, was staring back at him from the carpeted expanse of the bedroom big enough to almost fit his apartment. He stepped deeper into the room and took in the sight of the low table that was basically passed down to him by his grandmother and the dresser he bought a year ago, dwarfed by its more expensive and obviously larger counterpart that was probably already in the room before his came along. All his clothes were folded neatly on the bed, even his underwear and he blushed at the sight, wondering if Kirishima was the one who washed and folded the dirty ones that he'd left behind. His Ps3 that he bought on a deal about a year ago sat inconspicuously on a table under the flat screen TV mounted on the wall, along with cd games like Sega Allstars, Mortal Kombat and Street fighter. Among others.

But then, he had the fleeting thought that maybe Asami did this just to make sure that he was stuck here and couldn't escape; just another way to control him. The thought made his anger flair suddenly and he had to will himself to calm down.

"It's so big…"

Kou's awe wasn't pleasing to Akihito anymore and he strongly felt like turning back around and heading out to find somewhere else to stay. Asami's house equaled Asami's rules and he was honestly scared the man would just show up when he least expected and take what he wanted as usual. Besides, Asami was the last person he would want to see any time soon.

"I can't…" Akihito started, but he was cut off when Kirishima suddenly started talking.

"I'm sorry, Takaba-san…"  
It was more than the words, but the look on Kirishima's face at the statement that caused the rest of Akihito's sentence to get stuck in his throat like a ball of cotton. Kirishima was remorseful and concerned and it peeked through his stoic façade to reveal a man genuinely empathic.

"…for now…until your apartment is ready to be lived in again, accept our attempt at reconciliation."

Akihito's eyes narrowed. "Our…?"

Kirishima nodded but didn't elaborate. Akihito understood, and he could believe somewhere deep inside him that Kirishima at least felt somewhat sorry, but Asami was a whole different kettle of fish he wasn't willing to tackle as yet. For now though, he would take the opportunity until he worked something out for himself. He had nowhere to go and no money to rent another apartment so suddenly. Once he does though…

"Until my apartment is ready again…"

0o0~~VF~~0o0

Before long it was night time and Akihito felt the tension rising in his body with each passing moment from the minute he arrived. He avoided the master bedroom like a plague because he was half expecting Asami to suddenly show up and jump him in there. He expected that overall just from being in the house, but the intimacy of where Asami probably slept himself made him more nervous and anxious and he just couldn't manage it.

The bed was like a monster waiting to eat him alive.

Kou had left an hour earlier, after a dinner of chicken and shrimp hibachi with goji berry green tea which was as succulent as it looked with all the grilled vegetables. Kou rarely ate such refined (because the cook made the food extra-ordinary) meals and made a good natured fuss at being served by a chef without going to a restaurant.  
Now, without Kou's presence to help him calm his nerves, he sat on the balcony out the back, gazing out at the beautiful scene of twinkling stars and vibrant moonlight cocooned in the inky darkness of space and the gray puffs of clouds, finding himself relaxing a bit. The fresh air and the glass of lemonade he had in hand seemed to lessen his anxiety some and he wanted to feel that way for as long as possible. Never mind that the evening breeze became a little stronger as the sun settled, but he felt good despite the chill, which allowed him to think on some of his circumstances a little better. It wasn't ideal, but it could have been worse, he admitted to himself. Despite his indecision about keeping this baby, it was only a small part of him that felt this way and it was strongly because of Asami's caustic actions and how he trampled on his self worth and basic human rights. He had to think about work to support himself, wondering what he would do if Asami didn't want to lift his 'ban' on photo-journalism. It was his job, a part of who he is but he did sort of understand, that if he kept this baby he couldn't go around doing such dangerous things like snapping pictures in a war zone or of individuals that might threaten his life.

With everything going on, he felt much older than his 19 years of life.

"Takaba-san?"

It was Kirishima and Akihito only murmured in acknowledgment, never taking his eyes from the promise of rising above the clouds.

"It's getting late, You'll catch a cold, please come inside."

Those words carried on a gust of wind and Akihito sighed as the chill in his body intensified. He wanted to disagree with Krishima, but the goosebumps on his flesh was more than enough evidence that the man was right. Lowering his eyes, he stood and walked into the house, straight to one of the guest bedrooms so he could lie down for a bit. He planned to call a doctor to set an appointment in the morning.

0o0~~VF~~0o0

The next morning, right after Kirishima had brought Akihito breakfast and he'd ate, he eyed the man warily as a bottle of suppressants was placed on the table beside his bed. Slivers of disbelief and shock ran through him at the implication of what the man was suggesting. "Do you even know what suppressants will do to a fetus?"

Akihito had one hand covering his stomach protectively while he shifted backwards on the bed, trying to get as far away from Kirishima as possible.

"No, it's not…"

"You want me to kill my baby!"

Kirishima sighed, lips thinning. He commanded aggressively, "Listen to me, Takaba!"

With adrenaline pumping through his veins from his fight or flight instincts kicking in, Akihito looked around for a means of escape, pursing his own lips and not saying a word.

"They are non-hormone inhibitor suppressants, completely harmless and safe for pregnancy."

Akihito had heard of such suppressants a few times, but he didn't feel inclined to just believe the man because he said so. The tension in his body lessened some though, because he knew Asami making sure this baby got here meant there's no way Kirishima would harm it without dire repercussions. He grabbed the bottle and read the label.

_Safe for pregnant or nursing mothers._

Akihito's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are they for anyway?"

"Asami-sama wants to speak with you unhindered."

Kirishima was a very Pragmatic man, Akihito knew, but that didn't stop him from looking at the man liked he'd grown an extra head, horns and vampire teeth. "Say again?"

Kirishima was wise not to answer. Akihito got off the bed and headed towards his stuff to pack and leave, for which Kirishima shot out a hand to stop him in his tracks.

He glared at the man.

"Asami-sama will be here tonight to talk things out with you, peacefully. If not here, then wherever you are he'll find you. He's not trying to force you into anything, hence the suppressants..."

"A little too late for that, isn't it?" Akihito shot back scathingly. Again, Kirishima seemed to be taking his reactions in stride, not answering whenever he lashes out.

"A lot of things have happened, and I do hope you at least listen to what Asami-sama has to say. This involves both of you no matter how much you wish otherwise. He'll be here at lunch time."

Only one thing made Akihito stand his ground and it's the fact that he knew that Asami would find him wherever he went like Kirishima said. His stomach did flips at the idea of seeing the man again, but he decided to just wait it out and see what excuses Asami would come up with this time.

0o0~~VF~~0o0

Asami anticipated seeing Akihito more than he'll ever admit to himself out loud. The past few days he'd thought about him and his unborn child, wondering how they both were doing and when he'll be able to hold his mate and lover in his arms once again physically. He has Akihito in his house after all, so it's not like he doesn't know everything he's up to, but he'd destroyed Akihito's trust in him and he acknowledges that, but he finds it so hard to keep his distance and respect Akihito's wishes even though he knows its a very important step in regaining his trust. He knew the teen hadn't seen a doctor yet and he wanted to know exactly what Akihito's plans were from here on out. He'd get Kirishima to set up all prenatal care for Akihito once he's ready so he doesn't have to worry about it. And he'll take care of all the bills.

The hormone suppressants were an olive branch because no matter what he was an important part of Akihito's decision making process now and he wanted to help in whatever way he could. When his car pulled up to the house he knew the boy had taken them, the pheromones he exuded at their shared close proximity was very limited. It didn't stop his feelings of intense lust from overtaking him for a moment, although he had to will it away. He wasn't here for that. He scouted out the area with his eyes to make sure the men he paid for security duties were doing just that and When he walked up to the house, he was greeted at the door by Kirishima, who led him to the living area where Akihito sat on the couch with his hands in his lap and a pensive look on his face. He sat beside him, but made no move for any further action. The last thing he wanted to do was to send Akihito running in the next direction.

0o0~VF~0o0

Akihito felt all shades of panic and anger at the presence of Asami. Confusing thoughts and conflicted theories started running through his mind and he did his best to stay calm. The suppressants worked really well and he was glad for that, because he felt no infliction of arousal at their proximity. When Asami talked he startled, half expecting the man to be forceful or harsh. The unexpected calm, cautious tone of Asami's voice and the nature of his question did very little to curb the anger though, he was still in this situation solely because of Asami's selfish actions.

"How are you, Akihito?"

"If I had my job and was doing what I wanted I would feel so much better." Akihito snarked, but Asami didn't seem to want to engage him. The man kept his features neutral and his voice non-threatening.

Asami nodded. "I know. I want you safe."

Akihito didn't answer and he looked at the man. He knew Asami would love to cage him like a bird, but he wouldn't put up with that at any time. Asami had already used his alpha status to threaten his rights and he would never give him the opportunity to do it again. Never.

Asami sighed. "I'm here to tell you I'll help in any way you need. I'll take care of all your expenses and provide for you as long as you stay here. You're pregnant now so you need to relax and take it easy, not do anything too strenuous. You'll be comfortable here, I'll make sure of it."

"I'll be comfortable if I'm working to support myself, I need you to lift this ban you have on my job so I don't have to run to you for a bandaid everytime I stub my toe."  
Asami's eyes hardened and Akihito could tell the man had already decided.

"No."

"Why not? I love my job, I'm good at it and you want to come into my life and dictate what I can and can't do!?"

"I can't have you running into danger zones and from dangerous people who want to hurt you everyday. With how you are now, I wouldn't want anything like that for you. Not now, not ever. What if you get hurt or worse?"

"I've managed this long with barely more than a scratch, I'm just that good and I want to work to support us without your help. I want to have as little to do with you as possible!"

Now Asami stood, getting all up in his personal space and Akihito stood his ground, glaring at the man as he approached.

"You're too prideful, that's the problem. You can't get rid of me, you're my mate, pregnant with our child and I'm entitled to make you as happy and comfortable as possible, it's my duty to you."

"You want to make me happy, is that it?" The sarcasm was heavy in Akihito's voice, but he knew that in the end, in order not to end up living like a homeless person on the street, he would have to accept some sort of support from Asami because he agreed on the danger of his job to himself and his unborn child. He didn't want to give in to Asami, but he wasn't stupid enough to put himself or his child in harms way to prove a point, so he was willing to let the argument for his job back slide. He wasn't looking for handouts, but he looked at it as a small part of Asami's penance towards him, especially since the man was the reason he couldn't work to help himself in his current condition and was eating for two, which will take more money out of his pocket. Asami should take some responsibility, and that was how he justified what he said next. He straightened his back before answering the request. "If you want to make me a little happier, then you find me an apartment to live in, because I'm not staying in your house where you can have access to me whenever you want."

Akihito could feel Asami's frown, but he wouldn't be willing to work with anything else because he wants to live on his own terms.

"You'll have lots of help here and access to a lot more resources." Asami attempted to reason, but Akihito had already made up his mind. There's no way he'll ever be able to feel truly comfortable in Asami's house. Not while his feelings for the man were tinged with betrayal and discord.

"I don't care. You can still have your goons watch me from anywhere you please, so get me an apartment back in the city that I'm familiar with. You can help me by doing that, for now."

Reluctantly Asami nodded, giving in and Akihito could already feel his mood lifting.

There was a moment of pause before Asami asked. "You haven't been to see a doctor yet, have you?"

"No," Akihito admitted a little guiltily. How far along was he, a least 3 months and he hadn't even booked an appointment yet?

"I'll pay all your prenatal bills, just show up at the doctor and give them my information."

"What if I want to get rid of it?"

Asami's frown was deep and he radiated immense tension and even though Akihito was expecting it, he was not expecting the man to reign in his emotions and say simply, "You won't."

The problem with that analysis? He might be right. Akihito was always anti-abortion and finding himself in a shitty situation caused by a self-righteous alpha didn't seem to change his mind at all. "I'll set the appointment for tomorrow morning, then I'll check the local listings for available apartments in downtown Tokyo."

Asami nodded. "Fine. Can I stay for lunch though? I am rather hungry."

Akihito chuckled. "It is your house."

Lunch was actually civil and even though it was just the two of them around a table on the porch where they had a breathtaking view of the river and mountainous area around them, Akihito found most of his earlier apprehension seeping out of him to born unperturbed feelings he never thought he'd encounter at this time with the man.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Akihito booked an appointment at a physician's office he'd frequented a few times before while growing up in the east Suginami district. Asami had made countless suggestions and left business cards of skilled professionals he knew, but Akihito threw them all in the trash because he will never trust a health care professional Asami recommends ever again. After what happened with Asuka, he swore off all professionals he knows Asami knew. When the time came he'd wanted to take the bus, but Kirishima had insisted until he gave in, pointing out how convenient it would be to have his own ride instead of depending on public transport which took longer and was way more frustrating to navigate being around so much people.

He also blocked his path out the door unless he agreed.

The physician was the same as he always remembered him, a 35yo handsome beta with dark hair and an angular face who was a little taller than him. He hadn't seen the man in more than a year and when he entered his office, it was with a wide smile on his face.

"Kurodo-Sensei..."

They shook hands heartily.

"Takaba-san, I'm glad to see you again. Have a seat."

They both sat and the doctor opened his file to read the stats on the page. Said man smiled before looking up at Akihito. "So, you're pregnant..."

Akihito nodded with a blush. It felt so weird agreeing to that fact because he never expected he would be saying it at this point in his life; so soon.

"I'm surprised, after all, the last couple of times I saw you you were so career driven even though you were so young."

"Things happen." Akihito shrugged off the remark, not wanting to be reminded of how Asami got him here. It made him angry just thinking about it.

The doctor nodded while reaching for his blood pressure equipment and stethoscope. Akihito sat silent as he was checked over for any abnormalities in his current state. The doctor wrote periodically on his chart while he checked his heartbeat, height and weight and did a urine test. When the formalities were out of the way, they sat back in their respective chairs while the doctor wrote in his file.

"So, how far along are you, Takaba?"

"3 months."

The doctor scribbled in his file before asking again, "Where is the father? It would have been preferable if he was here so both of you can get all the information you need, especially since this is your first appointment, Takaba."

Akihito fidgeted. "Um, he couldn't be here, he's busy."

The doctor nodded like he heard that excuse too much time to count. Or was it Akihito's imagination?

Just then, there was a knock at the door and when the doctor instructed for the person to enter, his secretary strode in with a verbal message. "Isha-sensei, there's an Asami-san outside, who says he's your current client's baby-father..."

"Haaa, let him in, let him in."

Stunned speechless, Akihito could only watch as Asami strode into the office, so cool and calm and confident he couldn't believe it. Asami introduced himself as his babyfather? He hadn't expected the man at all and to be honest, he didn't want him here.

"Asami-san, welcome," the doctor started, greeting him with a bow and a handshake before instructing him to sit in the chair beside Akihito.

Akihito frowned when Asami sat beside him, clenching his fist to hold in his curses.

The doctor decided to pick up where he left off and it took a while for Akihito to realize that the man was speaking to him again.

"Have you ever had a miscarriage or abortion, Takaba-san?"

Akihito felt very uncomfortable answering such personal questions now that Asami was present, but the doctor needed all his truthful answers and he decided he would deal with Asami when he got the chance later. "No."

"Have you taken any drugs, prescription or otherwise lately?"

Akihito told the man the name of his previous suppressants.

"Allergies or family sickness?"

"None."

"Good." The doctor put the pen down before looking at both of them seriously. "Now, since you both are here, I'd like to point out that for an omega, Takaba-san, you're what we call a high risk patient. Pregnancy for you is different from a woman's and you'll develop for 36 weeks instead of 40. You'll be more prone to pregnancy illnesses later like back ache and swollen feet and it's imperative that your stress level be kept at normal as often as possible. Stay away from high mercury food throughout pregnancy and return immediately if you experience severe bouts of any illness or spotting. You need to eat at least three square meals per day and Asami-san, see to it that you help in any way possible. I'll be running some test and I will call you if there is any problem."

Asami made had a small Q&A session with the doctor after they were done about addition care for him and Akihito could not wait to get out of there. It scared him a little that Asami was getting on so well with his doctor because who knew what he could pay the man to do to him later? When everything was over and he left the office building, he walked out the door while glaring at Asami, wishing the man would disappear from his caustic look alone.  
Asami was walking away without a word when in a flush of irritation, he grabbed the man by the left arm and spun him around, stopping him in his tracks. "What the hell do you think you're doing, coming here?"

A part of Akihito was happy he followed his mind and took the anti-hormone suppressants before he left, because it's the only reason he wasn't jumping Asami's bones right now and he knew that.  
"It would have been important for me to be here for your first appointment to know what to expect from you from now on, my cute Akihito."  
Asami pinched his cheek...pinched his goddamn cheek and he saw red. He shoved the man back before hissing out. "I'm not cute, nor will I need your help through this pregnancy, I'll make sure of it."

Asami smiled before responding. "I'm just an emergency contact, in case, you say...go into labor on the highway in peak hour traffic or...?"

Akihito's head throbbed with irritation. "You're not suppose to be causing me stress, you idiot."

Asami chuckled and Akihito ignored him in favor of walking back to the parking lot where Kirishima was parked. He frowned when he realized that Asami was following a close trail behind him and a few metres away from a waiting Kirishima, he turned to stare at Asami questioningly. "Wait, why are you following me, don't you have your own ride?"

Asami stepped around him and opened his side of the back door, making a gesture like a gentleman courting his date to enter. "It's called carpooling. Besides, last I checked, this is my car."

Akihito made a noise of utter antipathy from his throat. He turned to leave. "I'll catch the bus."

"Wait." Asami was the one to hold on to him this time and he realized he didn't mind the touch, not one bit. It didn't stop him from shaking the arm off though. "I don't want to ride in your car with you. I've had enough of you for one day."

Asami dropped the playful demeanor and said seriously, "I wanted to take you to your new apartment in Shinjuku." For which he held a set of keys up in his hand and shook it.  
Akihito contemplated walking away like he'd originally planned, but Asami's house was the only place he could go to and he did negotiate for the apartment instead. He sighed before getting into the car, making sure to sit as far away from Asami as possible.

0o0~VF~0o0

The apartment, in a quiet residential part of upper Shinjuku, was just like what Akihito would expect from Asami: grande and a little bit much. It was bare for the most part, mind you, but the floor was polished wood (he could almost see his reflection) and he imagined what little possession he had barely making a dent in the available space. The kitchen was fully stocked and the bedroom was furnished (western bed and futon. Even pull out couches).

There was even a water heater available, Kirishima chimed in at some point like a stealthy ghost butler from an anime.

After the quick tour, Asami turned to him and asked, "Well, do you like it?"

"Do I have a choice?" Akihito scoffed, just to be difficult. He liked, definitely.

"If you don't like it just say so, I could always find you a different apartment before the day ends."

Akihito snorted. Only Asami, that he knew of, could get an apartment so easily at the drop of a hat. "No, I'm fine." He took off his jacket.

"It's on the first floor so you don't have to struggle with the stairs or get stuck in the elevator later on with your...stomach."

"How considerate," he said in a snarky tone, even though he wanted to laugh but held back when he realized Asami didn't want to call his stomach huge or big. "There's still the matter of me earning a living though..."

Asami sighed. "I've already told you I'll look after you..."

Akihito stood akimbo, taking in a breath before answering. "I'm not a housecat, Asami, I can't sit around and wait for you to feed me and take care of me, not if you want me sane anyway. Even if I'm not doing what I love I have to do something, anything. It's just how I am."

Asami didn't like it, if the look on his face was anything to go by, but he gave in eventually. "Nothing dangerous or strenuous."

"Yeah, fine. Whatever."

"Promise."

The word and tone was serious, but Akihito felt something warm inside him at the underlying worry.

"Fine. Now leave, I want to shower and get some sleep."

For a moment nobody moved and Asami just stood there, staring at him with eyes that held a kind if gleam, like a deep need or ache, for what seemed like a very long time and after breaking himself out of the reciprocated haze, Akihito became very self conscious. He looked around to see if Kirishima was still present, only to realize he was alone with Asami, who was looking increasingly more like he wanted to jump him at the moment. In a moment of self awareness he blurted out two words, "Leave, please."

Without another prompt Asami looked at him, turned and walked right out the door, leaving Akihito part relieved and part empty.

0o0~VF~0o0

"Ok...this is an apartment..."

Akihito rolled his eyes. "Yes, Kou. I now live in an apartment..."

"But the house in Azabu?!" Kou looked like he couldn't decided if he should be crying or throwing something.

"Wasn't mine and I feel more comfortable here," Akihito answered while walking to the kitchen to get them all a drink. Takato had come over too and was taking his time scoping out the place.

"Well, it's way better than my apartment," Takato pointed out.

"Mine too," Kou admitted grudgingly.

Akihito laughed while he poured two glasses of orange juice and one fruit punch. "I've only been here three days and I must say I like it. More room to play video games and move around and have sleepovers."

The other two laughed out their agreement. Akihito got them their drinks and they all sat on the couch in the living room while watching the mounted, flat screen TV on the wall (who said he couldn't take advantage of some of Asami's money for his troubles?).

"Hey Aki, how will you pay for this though, or is your alpha taking care of the expenses?" Takato inquired.

Akihito realized that his friends never used the word mate to describe Asami and he was grateful for that, but he really wanted to avoid any and all topics related to Asami with his friends even though Takato, especially, could become like ticks under his skin and he really didn't want to become angry at them, so he answered. "Yes, he is, until I can find a job."

Short, simple and to the point.

"Oh my god, you're not gonna continue photojournalism, are you, Akihito?" Kou asked in aggravated worry. Akihito sighed and reassured them both that no, he would not be putting himself or his unborn child in danger. He snickered when they both visibly drained of most of their worry.

It was a housewarming get-together of sorts and the evening ran smoothly with his friends, who managed to get Akihito's mind off his situation...especially his need. For now, he was satisfied with not being able to think about what he wasn't getting.

0o0~VF~0o0

By the next day Akihito was determined to find himself a job. He bought a local newspaper from the kiosk outside the lobby of the apartment building before checking the job listings, seeing if there was anything available. He'd circled a few options, calling around but most didn't want to hire a pregnant person (one woman was rude enough to say they would never hire a pregnant omega), not when he could become a liability at any moment. Especially when his stomach got bigger. Besides, there was the problem of maternity leave for a new employee working less than a year that nobody wanted to tackle.

They didn't say it outright, but Akihito knew how the work-force operated.

Nothing worked out. Out of nine inquiries none of them held up and Akihito sighed in frustration, putting a hand on his rounded stomach while thinking of his predicament. He was determined though, he wouldn't give up because that would be what Asami wanted to see and he decided to fight for what he wanted like he always did. Being an omega and pregnant would not stop him from trying. One way or another, he would find a job, take care of himself and be as independent as possible.

A week later, Akihito decided he would go out and look for work. Asami had been calling to check up on him steadily and he only answered the calls half the time. The other half Kirishima showed up like clockwork, saying through the door that if he didn't let him inside he would invite himself in and he better have clothes on this time. Akihito blushed and would hurry to open the door 'cause...he really liked to walk around the huge apartment naked as of late. This time Kirishima had a small bag of groceries and Suoh in tow and Akihito rolled his eyes after shutting the door.

"My fridge is still full."

"If you eat like you should then your protein and vitamin A foods should be low by now."

Akihito scoffed, but he felt a little uncomfortable because Kirishima had microsopic eyesight and good deduction skills and he wasn't disappointed (well, he was, really) when the man asked without turning around from separating the food in the bag, "Where are you going dressed like that?"

Suoh looked at him, as if just noticing that he was in fact dressed to go out...like for an interview or a date with a socialite or something and Akihito cleared his throat. These men reported directly to Asami. "I'm...huh...I..."

"He's going to look for a job most likely," Kirishima directed at Suoh, answering his own question.

Akihito's eyes widened in shock, and the only reason he could come up for Kirishima thinking that was, "Are you guys bugging my phone?"

Kirishima was fixing chicken parts in the freezer while Suoh held the strips of beef behind him. "It wasn't a hard guess since you've been moaning about it since you got here, Takaba."

Kirishima sounded dismissive and Akihito flushed. "Oh."

Suoh grinned at him, baring teeth like an animal and he turned his back and left.

0o0~VF~0o0

Three days and a visibly rounded stomach in the mirror later, Akihito was still walking to try and see what he could do in the meantime. He'd never felt the prejudice of an omega this bad before because he'd worked hard for his photojournalism job and had gotten it, so he didn't have too much to contend with. But he wouldn't give up, and putting him through these kinds of situation is one of the things he hated Asami for. It was like the man literally pulled the rug from under his feet and expect him to not have a problem with it.

One person even threatened to hit him with a broom from behind a wire fence before he opened his mouth and he left quickly, not wanting any trouble. Especially since he knew there was a car with Asami's men trailing him and no matter how rude he was being treated, he didn't want a beating or shooting of somebody on his head.

It didn't deter him though and by midday he was famished. He hadn't gone too far, nor had he done much but his energy waned and he knew the pregnancy was zapping some of it, causing his stamina to be shot to hell. He saw a coffee and sweets shop (got a craving for something sugary) and walked up to it. When he entered, there were glass cases with cake, sweets and other pastries on display. The coffee machine was behind one of the counters and the scent alone was robust and exhilarating. His mouth watered at the sight as his stomach rumbled. He spent about five minutes looking over everything when a voice said from behind him, "Takaba?"

Akihito whirled around in surprise, smiling when he realized he knew the girl that called to him. She wore an apron and a kerchief on her head, but there was no dismissing those features. "Akiko?"

"Oh my god!" the girl squealed before she grabbed him into a huge hug that Akihito returned wholeheartedly. Minami Akiko, Akihito's middle school classmate and one of the few people that didn't look down on him, that encouraged him to be himself. He never really needed the encouragement because he was a strong person, but she always stood by him and friends like that are rare no matter one's status. They lost contact some time around middle school when her family left.

"I can't believe we're meeting like this and you're in my shop!"

Akihito laughed. "Yes, it's a small world."

She pulled back and grabbed his hand, smiling lightly before she dragged him to a small table near the back so they could sit. "Yes. How are you, are you a photographer yet or something?"

Akihito chuckled. She knew his dreams and aspirations from that time. "Was, right now I'm..." He pointed to his stomach.

"Oooh, and here I thought you'd developed a pot belly at your young age." She laughed before pushing him lightly on the shoulder, referring to the bump she felt when she hugged him.

Akihito turned the corner of his lips upward in a shy smile. There was an actual 'bump' there after 11 weeks and he didn't know what to think of the fact that there was actually a child growing inside him and in a few months everybody will know without cause.

"So, what are you doing here, you in the mood for something sweet?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

Akihito took a moment to think about what he would choose before answering. "Blueberry and lemon mille feuille and espresso."

"Good choice!" Akiko squealed. She turned her back to him and shouted out his order to a girl behind one of the displays before turning back to him. She leaned over conspiratorial before asking, "So, who is your mate? Is it someone from school, someone I know?"

Akihito blushed, mouth working but no sound coming out while he struggled for what he thought was the right thing to say. He'll never, ever admit to having any relation to Asami and he didn't want to say he didn't have a baby-father despite how much he couldn't find an excuse, it just didn't feel right to lie like that. He admitted to himself that Asami was trying though, even if he wished the man would keep his distance. "No, you don't know him."

Akiko's eyebrow creased in thought and Akihito could see her mouth form the words before she actually said anything. "Is he around?"

"No." Akihito's voice belied his relaxed attitude and he saw the exact moment Akiko picked up on it. She dropped the subject after that.

"Oh, here's your order."

Akihito smiled when the girl from before came with his pastry in a decorated box and when he pulled it out and looked at the succulent morsels, he felt his mouth water. He took the first bite and his eyes wanted to roll back in his head.

"So?" Akiko asked a moment later, elbows on the table and hands clasped under her chin, waiting for a review.

Akihito nodded and gave her the thumbs up sign, because he didn't trust himself to not be spitting pastry in her face if he tried to talk at the moment.

"Wonderful," she said with a grin.

When Akihito swallowed, he blurted out wistfully, "Almost makes me wish I was working in a bakery."

"You would want to?" Akiko asked seriously curious, no hint of jest in her demeanor and Akihito didn't dare to hope.

"I would. I'm job hunting, actually," Akihito answered with a slight cough, putting his fork down on the saucer beside his espresso cup.

"I'm short one person to work the counters, what do you say? I was jaust about to put up a 'help wanted' sign by the door." She was really excited at the prospect, obviously, and Akihito had no intention of saying no.

"Would I be entitled to at least one free pastry everyday?"

"Of course!" Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"I'll take it." Akihito laughed because he was happy his determination was finally paying off. They exchanged contacts and he left the shop in high spirits with a promise to return the next day with his personal information so he could officially begin working and stop sitting at home waiting for his baby's father to support him.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: The first couple of paragraphs is brought to you thanks to Britney Spear, Touch of my hand. Damn, I've always loved that song :D**

The night was drowned out by the relentless beat of a hard sheath of rain against the outside world. The AC was off and the air was wet and earthy. Akihito sat in his bedroom, curled up with a cup of hot chocolate while wrapped in a blanket, keeping out the cold and watching mindless TV.

It was one of those nights, where he found himself alone and with a deep sense of longing that curled around his spine and settled in his stomach like a powerful venom with no cure. Now that the pressure of finding a job had practically lifted from his mind, he found himself paying more attention to his body than previous times. One of the things he realized for a while now was that he'd become a very horny individual. Not that he didn't have some spontaneous arousals before Asami, but now it seemed to be upped a lot of notches. Sometimes when he was alone like this, left to his own thoughts with only his body for company, he'd remember those times with Asami and how it felt to be in heat and mated. If he was honest with himself, he missed it; the caresses, the ache for more and the feel of it inside him.

There was something to be said about the type of atmosphere Akihito found himself in: warm cup of chocolate beverage heating his chilly, naked body, skin pebbled with arousal while the feel of silk sheets (Asami tried his best to spoil him) caressed him like a passionate lover everywhere it touched. His eyes left the TV set mounted on the wall and he put the empty cup on a wooden table nearby while he slowly contemplated where his mind was taking him, what he wanted to do. He felt himself heating up from the thought, a bit self-conscious and more than a little in the mood.

He was hard. That much Takaba knew for sure. It felt like too long.

It took a few minutes for Akihito to make up his mind to do this. He wanted to ignore the cacophony of feelings, will it away but it was insistent and overbearing, filling his head with memories and images of a time when the sex was 'blow your fucking mind' good and how it felt like he could die from an orgasm so powerful he stopped breathing for a bit. Asami loved to use his tongue sometimes and he missed that, always remembering when Asami would live between his legs, licking him in places that had him climbing the walls and begging for more. He realized that he'd lost the blanket halfway and his upper body was exposed. His nipples were pert and he experimental brushed fingers against the right one. It pebbled further and sent a jolt of archaic pleasure through his body. He felt like being bold, so he kicked the blanket down to the end of the bed, sighing when he stared down at his semi-hard on beyond the forming curve of his stomach. The sight caused a flurry of mixed reactions, but the heat was still the predominant emotion and tentatively, he wrapped one hand around his shaft while the other rested on his chest, index finger brushing lightly over a sensitive nipple.

The blinds were closed, he was closed off from the world and he flirted with the edge of his obscenities. Experimentally he tugged on his shaft, pulling until it stiffened more and curved against his belly, hot and heavy in his hand. Everyday without a lover, he became more acutely aware of the touch of his hands, so different from Asami's larger, stronger ones but he knew how to pleasure himself and when it came down to it he wasn't shy about that fact. His mind became clouded, tunnel visioning on the white-hot pleasure coursing through his veins. He moaned, writhed, thrusted until he found the rhythm of desired friction: hard on the base and soft on the head. Precome slicked the way, making the cocoon of his fist all the more pleasurable and he pumped hard and fast, wanting to reach that absolution as soon as possible.

"Oh god..." Akihito moaned with eyes closed, and his body was getting whip-cord tight. He was wet, pucker twitching from the anticipation of expecting something larger inside it, the feeling coiling in his stomach and drawing his balls tight for release while he pinched his nipples harder. He sighed, moaned, keened, on the cusp of of nirvana, ready for release when...

...the baby frigging kicked, startling him out of half his orgasm that left him slightly irritated and partly awed.

That was unexpected.

0o0~VF~0o0

Akihito's first day at work was exhilarating. Everyone was good to him and he spent most of the day learning the different pastries and hot beverages available for sale, along with his new co-worker's names. Akiko gave him a tour of the building, then set him up in his own display for him to manage. He learned that each display was themed and he was responsible for the international display that featured some pastries from other countries like hot cross buns, pumpkin pies and peanut butter cookies.

The first day was mostly a formality though and he was introduced to the cash register and how to work it, how to calculate different currencies since a lot of their customers were foreigners and where the bathroom was. Not to mention Suri, Elizabeth and Ashley, all of Japanese descent, who were his co-workers. Rubben was French-African and was the head pastry chef.

After being showed everything and then doing a practicing practical, Minami left Akihito alone to tend to his first customer. He was a bit slow, but he didn't make any mistakes and his chest swelled with pride when the other girls complimented him before doing their own thing. There was a wooden stool at his feet that Minami provided in case the pressure on his body increased. He'd ended up doing actual work four hours out of a eight hour work day. For his one hour lunch time, he was entitled to two pastries and a drink and he made good use of it. He realized he craved the sugary sweets way more than he used to.

Maybe he would come to love this job more than he thought if things progressed in the same manner. Akihito admitted to himself that working in a bakery wasn't really what he pictured himself to be doing. But then again, he didn't expect anything at all with only photography and photojournalism under his belt. He'd made it squarely into his desire profession of choice and it never occurred to him so early in the game he would be thinking of something else; pushed into choosing, really. He could work with this though, no doubt about that.

0o0~VF~0o0

Akihito's post-job high evaporated like smoke on a high wind when he entered the apartment to see Asami, face closed off and shoulders tense, sitting in the couch with one leg crossed over the other with his fingers laced together. One suit clad elbow rested on the arm of the couch and Akihito braced for an argument he knew was coming.

Asami sighed irritably. "So, you have a job..."

It was a statement, not a question and Akihito frowned, feeling Asami's gaze on him while he took off his shoes and hung up his jacket. It was things like these that could kill the slowly building flush of arousal at the proximity of his mate like a work boot crushing a bug, without the aid of anti-hormonal suppressants. "Yeah, so?"

"What part of I'll take care of you don't you understand?" Asami asked, jaws and eyes hardening.

The one million dollar question. Akihito was sure Asami asked himself that question until his face turned blue, not understanding Akihito's headstrong personality and why when you violated somebody like he did they were not obligated to trust you in any way, shape or form. He watched out the corner of his eyes as the man stood while he walked to the kitchen, unfazed by his attitude. He was thirsty and felt for some milk. Before he crossed the threshold he answered. "Considering I can't trust a bone in your body, it's a wonder you can't see why I'd like to keep some of my independence."

"You're not in a state to be so independent.I doubt you can afford to stand all day on your feet in a bakery right now."

Akihito scoffed while he took out the carton and drank straight from the box. He took long gulps, satisfying himself before gracing Asami with an answer. "And who's fault is that? Besides, I'm provided a chair to sit on. I can't believe how hard it is for you to get it through your thick skull that the only reason I'm even standing before you right now is because I have no other choice. Although, right now, I think I'm the only one being punished by doing this!" Akihito ignored the pinched look on Asami's face and continued ranting. "A bakery isn't even dangerous! That's what you made me promise not to do. We already talked about this, why the hell are you so determined to interfere!?"

Akihito was breathing heavily with the milk carton near crushing in his palm and he just wanted Asami to quit trying to cage him like a damn bird.

Asami sighed, resigned. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Akihito spat. Only Asami could make him crave him when he wasn't around but want to shove him over a precipice when he was. He swore under his breath.

"Figure it out for yourself," Asami answered reproachfully before turning and walking towards the door. There was something building inside him, something bubbling beneath the surface and he wanted to disarm it by getting away from Akihito before it exploded like a landmine around him. Around them both. He felt so tired when it came to Akihito, a bone deep ache that he could never do anything or say anything right. He took full blame for what he did wrong, tried to make up for it but Akihito couldn't see past that day when he broke down in his office. He didn't blame him for how he felt, but he wished for more. So much more. Even more than before.

In a fit of anger, Akihito shoved the milk box on to the kitchen table and then he rushed in front of Asami and blocked his way to the exit, hands stretched to the side and body rigid. They were touching because Asami wanted to leave and he wouldn't let him. They were touching, barely, but enough for him to notice and feel the heat radiating from Asami's skin through layers of clothes, remembering the texture and feel; his scent. How long had it been since they actually touched? How much longer will it be until they do? Will he ever be able to get rid of the massive doubt and pain holding him back? He figured the only reason he wasn't shoved to the side was because Asami was afraid he would hurt him, and to an extent the baby. He used it to his advantage and shoved the man back when he tried to dance around him to leave. "Figure what out? What the hell is going on in that head of yours? Are you planning to violate me again?!"

That snapped something loose in Asami and his body reacted before his brain caught up to the motion. It was like standing still, fuming, one second and then having his arms full of soft, supple skin and lips on intoxicating, strawberry flavored lips the next.

The world tilted on it's axis for Akihito when he suddenly found himself in Asami's strong arms, being kissed breathless and it was such a surprise he didn't have time to think about anything except how it felt, how it was right and how nothing else mattered except right here and now. His fingers closed tightly against the fabric of Asami's jacket and he wanted to pull him as close as possible. He wanted them to melt together until they became one being. He wanted to mate with his mate.

It was good, it was magical...until Akihito's brain came back online. Through the thrum of his body, pooling below his navel and tickling his spine, his brain started to process earlier feelings, endorphin being melted away by pride. He pursed his lips and stiffened for a whole different reason in Asami's arms. As much as he wanted to stay there and kiss until they became a tangle of sexually charged limbs working together on the floor (because he did want it, after all), he allowed himself to drown in the absolution that Asami should be suffering for what he did. He should not be giving in to the man. No way, no how.

Asami stopped, pulled back and looked into Akihito's suddenly blank, but still flushed, face. One look and he understood. He wouldn't push, no matter how hard it was. "I'll see you another time."

Asami abruptly stepped back and walked away and Akihito was left feeling 3/4 hollowed out and 1/4 relieved.

Right now, he was confused.

0o0~VF~0o0

A week later, Akihito had put out of his mind what happened with Asami in his apartment. Increased masturbation exercises aside, he didn't mind. Much. He was at work, sitting and manning his counter after selling a couple Bofroat (Ghanaian donuts), when Kirishima and Suoh entered the bakery suddenly. He blushed and turned his head away, hoping the men would bother one of the other girls. Kirishima was Elizabeth's type, she said she like men fitting his description.

He wasn't invisible enough, he realized, when they both stood before him expectantly, all black suit and white undershirt like overgrown north-pole penguins. He forced a smile and looked at them when they just stood there waiting for his acknowledgement.

"Gentlemen...what the hell do you want?" The last part was hissed, because he didn't want to explain to Minami-san why he was treating her customers like secondary thugs.

"Blueberry scones and coffee, no sugar," Suoh answered dismissively.

"Creme puffs and coffee, no cream," Kirishima added with a mild shrug.

Akihito glared for a moment before he grabbed the tong and a branded pastry box. He knew these two being on watch duty meant Asami was still keeping tabs on him and he wondered how long the man would keep this up. He stood and lowered himself to retrieve the pastry on the front of the bottom shelf, all the while hoping the two would leave quickly.

"Don't bend too much..."

Akihito stiffened before looking up at Suoh questioningly. Kirishima pointed to his stomach, "Don't pressure Asami-sama's..."

"Say 'Asami-sama's baby' and I swear you'll get your coffee in your face instead of your hand," Akihito hissed, glowering evilly at Kirishima.

"Cranky, isn't he?" Suoh asked noncommittally.

"Hormones," Kirishima returned in the same tone, as if they were talking about the weather.

Akihito wanted to tell them to 'get the fuck out!' but refrained. Count to ten, take deep breaths and will them away. He idly thought of suing the quack on Google for that bit of nonsensical advice when the two didn't go up in a cloud of smoke. He forced himself to complete their orders.

"You know, you can go elsewhere for food when you're on watch duty, right?" Akihito snarked while he handed the bag over. "I don't need to see you guys at all. I'd prefer not to, to be honest...go away and never come back."

They both took a whiff, then a sip of their hot beverage and Akihito turned his nose up at them.

"It's still as good as ever, isn't it?" Suoh directed at Kirishima, who gave a curt nod with a small smile in answer. "And you can't technically throw me out of my niece's bakery, you know," he then directed at Akihito.

Suoh scoffed, Kirishima smirked and Akihito stood there dumbfounded, mouth slack and eyes wide as the two stood there and watched him with an evil glint in their eyes.

"Kazumi-Ojisan, Kirishima-san!"

Akihito's eyes snapped to the side at the sound of Minami's voice, disbelief coloring his countenance when her action only confirmed Suoh's allegation.

The two answered in greeting and Akihito couldn't believe his eyes when Minami walked over and the three were obviously relaxed around each other, conversing like long time friends and family until she turned her eyes on him, smiling brightly.

"I see you've met my new employee. Ojisan, Kirishima-san, this is Takaba Akihito-kun. Takaba, my Ojisan and his friend, Kirishima-san."

She smiled happily at all three of them and Akihito bowed mechanically, not sure he should break the girl's shroud of ignorance by explaining that he knew them quite well and how. He felt awkward and he didn't want to make the situation any more so, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Alright, you both can come back any time you feel like and your next order is on the house. Just let me know when you get here."

Kirishima gave him an audacious look and Akihito watched as they said their goodbyes and walked away, nodding at him knowingly until they were no longer in sight. He honestly wondered if this was a simple coincidence or another manipulation: getting the job and practically falling into Asami's clutches once again...through his henchmen's family. It made his stomach roil with indignation and his breath speed up with fury. What if all this was just another plot and he was being moved like a koma on a Go board? What if no matter how Asami pledged otherwise, he was still trying to pull him whichever way he liked? He had to admit that somewhere deep inside it hurt in a way he never thought possible, to think he was right all along and all of Asami's efforts to 'do better and right' by him was just a sham. A big, fat lie. His mind started to blank, things started to go out of focus and his body temperature rose exponentially with the maelstrom of emotions going through him.

"Akihito, are alright?"

Minami's concerned voice broke through his thoughts and he snapped his head up to look at her before shaking his head. "No, I don't feel so well. Can I leave early?"

"Yes, you can. Is it the baby, is something wrong?"

Akihito felt like his stomach was tied up in knots and he vaguely wondered if things like that would bother the baby. It kicked. She was overly concerned and Akihito couldn't find it himself to care. Not if she was just another watchdog Asami put on his tail like a fucking hound to sniff on his behalf. "I'm fine."

Tight lipped and tense, Akihito took off his apron, grabbed his jacket and left without a word, not answering even when Minami shouted for him to call and tell her if it was anything serious. While heading to get a taxi, he took out his cell and dialled Asami's number for the first time in months. "My place, Now."

He didn't wait on an answer, cutting the call off immediately before jumping in a taxi (as fast as his enlarged stomach would allow) and instructed the driver to take him home immediately.

One way or another, he was going to find out what the hell was going on.

0o0~VF~0o0

Asami expected this argument. He knew what it was all about. despite how much he wished Akihito would let him take care of him, he seemed a lot better once he regained a little of his independence: a lot less irritable, fidgety and more rational. Calmer. Didn't mean he wouldn't try to get Akihito to do what he felt was better for him, he just wouldn't push too hard if he said no. As long as Akihito wasn't in any real danger, he could deal. He walked to the apartment door, getting ready to take out his own key and enter when Akihito turned the corner, not looking at him as he fished out his own key from his pocket and opened the door, leaving it open and him standing at the door looking at him. Angrily, Akihito took off his shoes, hung up his jacket and went straight for the milk in the kitchen and a box of chocolate flavored pocky. Asami entered, shut the door and then took a seat on the couch as usual, waiting expectantly for how Akihito would start this particular branch of mental anguish.

"Minami Akiko, my boss. She's Suoh's niece."

Asami barely nodded in acknowledgement, watching as Akihito drew in a deep breath and stood akimbo after resting the milk and pocky on the table between them, barely containing his anger.

"What I want to know is, did you set all this up like the first time? Did you decide that you can control where I work like you did when I should get pregnant? Are you fucking with me again, Asami?!"

"No. I actually didn't find out where you were working until after you got the job," Asami started to explain. No use hiding anything. Last thing he wanted was for Akihito to up and run away again because he felt he was pushing him, even though it was so hard not to do. He wanted Akihito's trust back so bad it was like a physical ache in his chest. He was making small progress, he could tell and he wouldn't jeopardize his hard work like that. "I knew you wouldn't have liked it to know she was Suoh's relative, but I knew you would have thought I had set it up, so I waited until you calmed down some for you to find out..."

"So you were being manipulative, just not about what I expected it to be..."

It was a statement from Akihito, not a question and Asami confirmed it. It was true, after all. He could tell Akihito was struggling to believe him, so he decided to pitch even more evidence that what he was saying was really the truth. "Besides, if I had set it up I wouldn't have argued with you for being there in the first place. I've been trying to convince you to leave and let me take care of you all this time. I still wish you would."

Akihito worried his bottom lip in indecision, just standing there before deflating with a sigh. "Fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time."

Asami smiled. "Thank you."

"How freaky is that though? I was ready to tear you a new one, I swear," Akihito chuckled while he grabbed the milk and pocky again, sat down heavily beside Asami and started to pig out.

Asami settled comfortably in the couch, enjoying Akihito's warmth and close proximity. He wished it would happen more often. He wished he could grab and kiss him senseless, fuck him until he cried out and then start all over again. It took every bit of self control not to.

"You know, there was once this customer, his stomach was big. I thought he was pregnant too. When I commented on it turns out he was just bloated. He left with tears in his eyes..." Akihito commented idly while still chewing pocky.

Asami looked disbelievingly at Akihito, not able to hide his chuckle, until they were both laughing at the guy's expense.

"And then this other guy, Russian if I got his accent correct, with really bright blond hair, made me write 'I love you' on a cupcake for his Chinese boyfriend with really long pretty hair, who stuffed the whole thing in his mouth before his Russian boyfriend could make a scene-his words. I got a fat tip for the cupcake. They were both alphas though. I can tell they fight a lot, even though they really liked each other too, I could sense it. Then, this one girl..."

Akihito settled comfortably into his side, telling tales of the diverse characters he met on a daily bases and Asami couldn't help just going with it. It was so rare for them to be in such companiable company with each other he wanted them to stay like this for the rest of the night. At one point he started running his fingers through Akihito's hair softly, listening to the sound of his voice, calm and low, ethereal. After a while it sounded sleepy and Akihito did fall asleep with his head on his shoulder while he had a hand wrapped around him. It was progress, it meant Akihito was a lot more comfortable around him than before and he savored the moment and what it represented.

Right now, he was with his family and comfortable and it just felt so damn right.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, a groggy Akihito woke up with the feeling of one hand wrapped tight around the middle of a warm body and his head buried tiredly into a strong chest with an unknown arm hugging him around his back loosely. For a moment he was confused, wondering where he was and with whom, until his vision focused and the memory came back to him, making him realize he was still on the couch, hanging to Asami like a child afraid to let go of their security blanket. He inhaled deeply, filling his nostril with _Asami_ and clean morning air. He yawned quietly, then snuggled deeper into the man's side until he decided to peek up at the man's sleeping face.

Asami's face was slack above his head and his eyes were closed with his bang curtaining above his brows. There were no worry lines, crease in his forehead or deep frown ridges and he marveled at how angelic, child-like Asami looked when he let his guard down like that. Asami's warm breath exhaled over his face and he carefully eased himself up until he was close enough to kiss him if he wanted to. All he did was look though, look at the man made for him from the tip of his hair to the root of his genes. Handsome, all alpha male and all his...

...if only he could get over his insecurities and trust issues with said man. He realized he might have been a little bit eager to let Asami off the hook yesterday despite what he was telling himself now, but he didn't feel any way about it to be honest. He kept wondering when his mind went from there to _here_, and why it was becoming such a regular occurrence.

Asami's skin was soft, albeit thick and Akihito remembered how it felt sliding against him as they writhed together on whatever surface they fancied at the time. His cock was swelling out in his denim at the memory of some of what they did and he bit his lip, feeling the pull to his mate like an anchor on his rapidly beating heart. While he braced on one hand, he brought the other up, wanting to touch but hovering close to that warm skin, fingers ghosting over Asami's forehead, jawline, his lips, not wanting to wake him just yet for reality to set in. He licked his own lips as his breathing sped up, as he took what he could secretly while Asami couldn't see. He marvelled at the contrast of his feelings, how he could go from 'the mate' to 'the violated' in the blink of an eye. He sighed as the cacophony of conflicting emotions left him half way between _need_ and _flee_. He took a deep breath as his bladder and the fetus protested, until he maneuvered out of Asami's arm in a bid to go to the bathroom for his after sleep duties.

Asami muttered in his sleep, slowly reached out a hand for him, but he didn't wake up.

Akihito was in the kitchen making breakfast when Asami woke up and decided to join him. He already had a glass of orange juice and a cup of hot tea on the counter just in case and he felt oddly pleased when Asami sat around the kitchen table and started in on the tea immediately. He smiled while he attended to the scrambled eggs he was making, jostling the non-stick frying pan before running the spatula through the egg pieces.

"How was the couch?" Akihito asked lightheartedly, taking a deep breath, willing his racing heart to calm. Despite how use he was becoming at ignoring Asami's siren call and control over his body, he hadn't mastered it yet and without the help of the pills, he could feel himself slicking up for a fuck he both anticipated and dread.

Asami grunted, before putting the tea cup back on the coaster. "Could have been worse."

Akihito's half-smile widened when Asami stretched and joints snapped back into place. "Yeah. The baby kicked up a storm over that one."

"I bet." Asami snorted. He was already loving his kid so much. It got stuck in his head like a broken record on endless repeat; Akihito and his child; _family_. He'd grown to hate how he took the journey, but the end result was so worth the pain, he thought a bit guiltily. They were _here_ now and if things continued in the same direction, he would be happy with Akihito and his child very soon. He would never give up on either of them. He took in Akihito's frame at that, noticing how he just seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window with the obvious curve of his stomach. Akihito brought out all manner of emotions inside him, some as protective and fierce like he'd never felt before and others so soft it felt unnatural in intensity. Among all that though, was the desire to make love to him. To love him. They are mates, it's natural for him to feel that way but this was getting to him now. He could tell Akihito hadn't bothered with his pills, the need rolled off him in waves. He wanted to touch him, feel him and caress him freely. He wanted to show him how good it could get again, if he just gave them another chance. He's fighting hard to not break the link in their tenuous relationship though, so he keeps it to himself for now. He won't say anything, neither will he do anything. Akihito needs to come to him of his own accord.

"I made eggs and toast, want any?"

Asami nodded while taking another sip of the honey-lemon ginseng tea. He watched Akihito work the appliances, loading up a plate with two slices of toast from the toaster before lifting the frying pan and stacking the eggs against it.

"I could have helped with that," Asami threw out when Akihito was done, just generally not liking the thought of him being around fire, a burning stove; anything dangerous. He imagined hot oil, water or gravy splashing out of whatever pot to burn his mate, especially on his elongated stomach, and resolved to have a full time cook over as soon as possible.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Akihito answered nonchalantly while he put the plate before Asami with the proper utensils on a napkin. He had to admit, this slice of domesticity felt rather welcoming. Them doing everyday things, family things, without the electricity of animosity firing rapidly around them like a nuclear strike. Most of all, he didn't feel lonely. It was a completely different type of feeling having friends over as opposed to Asami. Against his better judgement, he felt a sort of calm at the man's presence no-one else could personify. He wondered how long all this would last while he stacked his own plate and returned to the table, reaching for the orange juice since Asami took the tea.

Asami must have had the same thought, because he reached for the glass the same time Akihito did and both of them closed their hands around it in tandem, Asami's hand canvassing Akihito's smaller one and their eyes snapped to each other at the need that ran through them instantaneously, the spark of desire that threatened to consume them.

It was like a moment frozen in time, where there was just them in the entire world, hazel lost in golden hues and the overwhelming sense of _right, this is so right_ and _I need you so much right now_ and _mine_. None of them could pinpoint when exactly Akihito ended up in Asami's arms, straddling his hips while their lips met in a bruising demanding kiss, holding on to each other as if only a category 10 hurricane could separate them.

Asami had one hand pressing into the small of Akihito's back while the other wrapped around his shoulder to fist in his hair, simultaneously holding him in place and keeping him far enough to not jostle his stomach. It was like an annoying itch getting scratched, that bone deep relief that came with finally getting what he wanted; Akihito to initiate contact, to _want_ this.

That poisonous seed of doubt was still planted in Akihito's mind though as the anxiety reared it's head like an ugly snake and he released a breathless 'no' into Asami's mouth, even while he tried to get as much of Asami's taste on his tongue and the feel of his warm skin against his as possible. Asami's hands tightened on his body at that, holding him tighter as if unwilling to let go no matter what, no matter what Akihito wanted. That thought sent a chill down Akihito's spine and just like all the other times he wanted to give in, it coiled in his stomach and squeezed his heart until he had to get away, to get away from the fear and the pulse racing reaction of possibly being violated again in some way he wasn't even sure of. Scrambling to get both feet planted firmly on the ground and with both palms planted flat against Asami's chest, he pushed back as hard as he could, breaking the kiss violently as the chair scraped across the floor and he jumped back, standing coltishly as he turned his back to Asami and gasped in huge gulps of air.

"Akihito?" Stunned, Asami sat there for all of a second, finger on his pulsing bottom lip, wondering what the hell just happened when it came to him like a motion picture reel in a big screen theatre. Akihito had said no. He shouldn't have held on so tight. It was just so hard to let go. He held tighter because he didn't want to give this up, and the more he tried to pull his mate in the more he drew back, until all Akihito wanted to do was stop. Asami should have known, should have realized that he should have been more careful but he was on the cusp of one of his greatest desires that he threw caution to the wind, becoming too aggressive in his advances for Akihito. "It wasn't intentional."

Akihito didn't turn around to look at Asami when he muttered in a thready voice, "I'm late for work." He didn't wait for an answer, just walked to the bedroom and slid the lock closed behind him, doing his best to calm his racing heart.

Asami didn't want to push his luck. He didn't want to frighten Akihito away. That was far from the point, actually. He understood what was happening to his mate and knew that if he wanted to help him, he had to find subtle ways to ease him out of his sudden panic attacks. He realized that Akihito's panicked state needed to be addressed before he could ever make any further headway in their relationship. Besides, Akihito obviously wasn't against them being mates again, and Asami knew he just had to find a way to ease him out of the mental panic he found himself in at the prospect of them getting intimate. He was an ever patient man, he could wait and he would be with Akihito again soon. Very soon.

Sighing, he walked up to Akihito's bedroom door and said, "I'll check up on you later." After that, he just left.

0o0~VF~0o0

"Are you feeling better?"

"Is it the baby?"

"Are you feeling contractions?"

"Nausea?"

"Are you stressed? That's not good."

"Were you hungry?"

"Stop!" Akihito glared half annoyed/half embarrassed at the four girls, Minami, Elizabeth, Suri and Ashley. Even Rubben had poked his head from the back to see what all the fuss was about. He tried to address them all since it was a few minutes before opening hours and they were alone when he said, "I'm fine. Honestly."

Akihito smiled and the girls seemed to buy it, each of them muttering out something among the line of 'alright,' or 'you better be' before they went back to their duties. Only Akiko stayed behind.

"Wanna talk about it?" she offered and Akihito paused in putting on his apron before looking at her skeptically.

"Talk about what?"

The girl shrugged. "You really didn't seem too good yesterday..."

Akihito wasn't the rude type, but he did feel a flash of annoyance at her wanting to poke into his personal problems. He deflated after a sigh though, because he knew he was being unfair. She just wanted to make sure he was ok. "If I do, you'll be the first I call."

Akiko smiled, all bright and knowing and to be honest, he could see a tiny bit of the hulking Suoh in there. He chuckled at the realization as she turned to walk away.

The rest of the day went by in a kind of half daze for Akihito. He wondered what was going on in his head when he realized he was feeling a little badly for pushing Asami away like that this morning. He knew he wanted to touch the man, to be so close but he just couldn't stop the stab of anxiety that overcame him whenever they were too close to be innocent. It was frustrating for him, he couldn't imagine how it must be for Asami. Secretly though, he was a bit happy that he was able to leave Asami hanging like that. It's not like he forgot what the man did to him without his consent and he snickered at the idea of Asami rushing to the ER for a bad case of blue balls.


	10. Chapter 10

Kirishima would never admit out loud that he was happy to see a glowing Akihito serving shortcake to a customer while two others waited to get served. He was alone and Asami had sent him to keep an eye on the pregnant blond after almost two weeks helping to clean up the mess of a brewing territorial war in Yokohama. Some minor trouble was stirring behind the scene and his boss wanted to be extra careful. He was moved from part time brat duty to full time. Though, he didn't mind. He got a coffee from one of the other girls and just sat and watched from behind his glasses, taking slow sips and drawing out his time.

Akihito just had an aura, standing there smiling charmingly at his customers, looking genuinely happy to be interacting with other people. He'd been there to experience first hand the blowback of his boss' action, but Akihito had picked himself up, dusted off and pursued in spite of his situation and how it affected him. He also realized Akihito was prone to more frequent bathroom breaks and he snorted under his breath when at one point he held his stomach and hobbled to the bathroom as fast as he could, moving like a ball on legs like he waited too long to do his business.

People with less problems had done worse things. It had a certain appeal, someone with Akihito's personality. He wasn't his type (too young and way too troublesome), but he was likable once you got to know him. In the middle of serving mango tarts the kid threw him a quick glare and he smiled before saluting with his coffee cup. Akihito rolled his eyes but smiled once he lowered his head. As soon as he was free he walked over. "Busy day?"

"Lunch hour traffic," Akihito sighed while he checked twenty yen notes in his cash register.

"You enjoy this job a lot more than I thought you would."

"Yeah, gives me something to do."

Kirishima would have smiled, if he wasn't trying to keep up the stoic bodyguard persona. In the weeks he was away, he missed the kid(s?). "I'll drop you home later."

"Only if the sky is falling."

Kirishima half smiled/half sighed. "I'll pick you up at 6."

"Don't bother."

0o0~VF~0o0

"The sky is falling, get in!"

Akihito stood under the busstop, huddling into his jacket and trying his best not to get soaked as the downpour beat like metal against the surface around him. Lightening flashed then thunder clapped. Kirishima opened the back door of the car from his seat around the steering wheel and Akihito slipped inside before closing the door, bristling at the water droplets that partially soaked him. He half expected to see Suoh, but Kirishima was alone just like in the day.

The car ride was too quiet and Akihito found his thoughts drifting back to Asami and the baby inside him and just ieverything/i. Life. One moment he'd be in high spirits, then a next time he'd be angry, then another time depressed. He rested his hand on his swollen stomach, felt the baby kick and smiled.

Yeah, life could be so much worse.

A cell phone started to ring and Akihito looked to Kirishima, watching him as he juggled driving and talking into his phone. It was Asami. Akihito could tell by the way Kirishima spoke to him and what he was reporting. The man just hung up and kept driving afterwards and Akihito just kept thinking to himself.

...

"I want us to have dinner tomorrow."

Akihito wasn't sure how to answer to Asami's request. He was curled up in bed with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate after Kirishima dropped him off, made him change into warm clothes, cooked, then left. "Where?"

"An Indian restaurant. You like spicy food now, right?"

"How do you know that?" Akihito asked suspiciously, even though he knew the answer.

Asami chuckled. "It's all Kirishima's been cooking for you lately."

Akihito smiled, settled onto his back in a more relaxed position and laid a hand flat on his swollen stomach. "Yeah. I knew that guy couldn't keep a secret."

They both laughed at the playfulness of the situation and it went on like that for the next couple of weeks. Asami would be a constant presence and they'd dance around each other and pull back when they got too close like wayward butterflies. It wasn't like with his friends, because they visited him a lot on day offs and after work hours that consisted of nights in and eating out. They made him feel good, but Asami made him feel special in that way only a mate could do. Asami took him to tour museums and zoos and he was enthralled with their visit to the fishing district a week later where they caught and cooked their own food. In retrospect, Akihito knew what was happening, recognized the subtle shifts and hints and the 100% lack of forcefulness for what it was...when it was too late. He was too focused on just taking from Asami without giving back and it felt good. They spent a lot of time intimately close and it was as if the remembrance of doubt and fear and hurt was slowly syphoned away until only the good memory of what they built their existing relationship on was left. Asami gave a little, pulled back, gave a little more then pulled back again and it went on and on until eventually Akihito had come to expect Asami to keep spoiling him.

It was Twenty six weeks into his pregnancy that Akihito found himself ostensibly confused about what exactly he wanted from Asami. It was a Saturday and they'd gone to the Asukasa festival in the heart of Tokyo. They'd both worn traditional kimonos, him in a light green one with simple red crane designs and zori slippers while Asami wore a red silk one with a gold tiger on the back and geta slippers. They prayed at the Sensoji Temple for prosperity and good will before watching as mini shrines dedicated to the three gods who founded the Sensoji Temple was paraded around town among thousands of people. Then they ate and drank and Akihito almost busted his behind trying to do a little dance to the many musicians using Japanese drums and flutes in the streets. Asami's touch never left his body after that. Whether it was holding his hand or widening his palm over his lower back or wrapping a hand around his waist, Asami had kept him in the safety of his presence. The man even blocked people from shoving or rubbing up against him as best he could. He didn't know what to think of the man Asami elbowed in his ribs until he stumbled and fell because said man wanted to have a drunken dance with Akihito.

The evening wore on and after that they held each other close as fireworks lit up the sky in an array of ethereal colors, feeling the magic as it washed over them and everybody around them. When they were done, an exhausted Akihito was driven home by Asami, who saw him to his apartment, closing the door behind them.

"I had so much fun. It was beautiful," Akihito sighed after plopping down in his bed tiredly, head propped on mountains of pillows. He could lay flat on his back, it felt like the weight of the baby wanted to crush his stomach after a while. He was expecting to take a five, shower and then go straight to bed. Asami was there, taking off his kimono, loosening the clothes underneath and he didn't feel all too perturbed, the man had been keeping a very respectable boundary. After all, and the contentment he felt from ieverything/i just left him feeling so happy.

"You more-so."

Asami's voice drifted to his ears and Akihito smiled. "Yeah?"

"You were the most beautiful person there."

Akihito looked down at Asami, over the curve of his stomach, to the man's face, taking in his appearance, savoring his masculinity and handsome features. The vein in Asami's neck pulsed, Akihito swallowed and then he becomes acutely aware of Asami's touch, his hand on his skin as he slowly undresses him, never breaking eye contact in the process. Maybe it was because he was so drunk on ihappy/i he didn't care for respectable boundaries. He could feel the need sluicing up his spine from Asami's gentle fingers. He wanted Asami to put his hands on him in ways completely devoid of innocence and the baby kicked. He laughed.

Asami smiled, running one hand, palm flat, against the mound of flesh that was his mate's stomach, itheir shared legacy/i. "I saw it move."

Asami's smiled broadened when he felt the baby kick again and Akihito was lost in the moment. "You have a very active child."

"We."

Akihito's smiled falter for a mere second. He doesn't remember ever thinking to himself that it was itheirs/i. Just his or Asami's. But his smile returned full watt when he realized that he liked it. He tested out the meaning on his lips. "Ours..."

Asami couldn't hold back how prideful he was of that, or the heat that washed over him when he saw how flushed Akihito had become. His lover didn't deter him this time and he made sure to slowly caress his way up to his inner and outer thigh, feeling gooseflesh forming on those slender legs. He could smell the potent arousal but didn't want to startle Akihito, so he never once broke eye contact, asking explicit permission with his eyes every time he wanted to do something. To touch and caress.

Akihito squirmed, then laughed when Asami kissed his stomach once, twice...thrice. Almost every inch of his elongated stomach was being given a kiss and he sighed deeply and relaxed, running a hand softly through Asami's now debauched hair. The baby liked the attention as much as he did if the increased kicking was anything to go by. "What if it's a girl? What would you name her?"

Asami paused, looked at Akihito and then pretend to be in deep thought. "Sakura?"

"Oh god, No!" Akihito laughed and Asami snorted. "Too common."

Asami held both thighs and kissed his stomach fondly again before answering. "That was a joke. What girl name would you like?"

To be honest, Akihito had never really thought about it. He realized how detached he was in a way about his own child growing inside him. He felt a pang of guilt at the realization, but quickly put it out of his mind. He was thinking about it now, wasn't he? He went through a mental checklist of all the girl names that he liked before settling on, "Kiyomi."

Asami nodded, a deeply fond smile ghosting over his lips. He tested the sound of the name on his tongue. "Asami Kiyomi. I like that name too."

"What if it's a boy?" Asami then asked, curious.

"Koichi."

"'Shining first child.' I really like that one," Asami answered. This child would definitely shine. Their first child together.

Asami had slowly inched his way up the bed, until he was on his side and had Akihito spooned against him. He kissed the top of Akihito's head before tucking it under his chin, then he wrapped both hands around his lover and kept him close, sharing warmth, having no intention of ever letting him go. He couldn't stress it enough; this was his ifamily/i, and he would protect them with the last breath in his body if he had to. Nothing meant now to him more than what he had right here in this bed. Two hearts beating in one body, three hearts in the trinity of the Asami legacy.

"Asami?"

Akihito's voice was tentative, shy, and Asami hugged him tighter before answering. "Yes?"

Akihito drew in a breath but didn't say anything more. Instead, he maneuvered himself until he was on his other side, face to face with Asami, both of them breathing in the same air: each other. He bit his lip when he remembered his violent reaction the last time anything had nearly happened between them, but right now, in this moment, he needed his mate, needed him more than anything else he could think of and he moved forward, kissing Asami's lips while the man opened up and let him in. He deepened it, himself, because he realized the dominant Asami was letting him take the reigns, letting him guide them through this dance and for that Akihito was so grateful. He was in total and utter control of the situation.

Asami didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time, so he didn't grab, he didn't squeeze and he didn't push for more than what he was getting...no matter how much his skin itched for it. They hadn't been intimate for months and it made the need ratchet to impossible levels for his mate. But he held himself in check, gave over to Akihito's probing tongue and roaming hands and intoxicating taste. He didn't touch until Akihito took his hand and put it on him himself, and even then he didn't move his hand at all. With a frustrated growl, Akihito had squeezed his fingers, letting him know he could do more. Do more he did.

Akihito gasped but didn't pull away when Asami held him and rolled them over until he was straddling the man, breaking the kiss. There was lust and love mingled into a whirlwind of emotions in Asami's eyes and it set Akihito's skin on fire.

They never broke eye contact as both their skins flushed, their arousal pungent in the air and Asami did his best to free both their lengths from the confines of their clothings, moving the suddenly offending articles out of the way.

Akihito was transfixed at the sight of both of their cocks, hard and ready, blood red and pulsing, no more than an inch away from each other. He waited with bated breath for Asami to touch him.

"Tell me right now if you don't want this."

Akihito's eyes snapped to Asami's determined ones and he vaguely wondered who he would be hurting more by stopping, himself or Asami. He wanted this just as much. "Put your hands on me, inow/i."

Asami growled. Forceful Akihito was so damn hot. He used one hand to hold both their lengths and started jacking them in tandem. There wasn't much they could do in Akihito's state anyway and the feel of their hot flesh so close, wringing the pleasure from their bodies caused both of them to arch and moan and sigh in the utmost of sexual pleasures.

Akihito's entire body thrummed on the promise of release and he tried to balance his stomach and his pleasure. He didn't want to hurt himself, but he would hurt Asami if he dared stop until he'd come and felt satisfied. He pushed urgently into the man's hand while watching his comely face through hooded eyes and Asami's free hand on his hip tightened almost to bruising. This would be over soon for both of them.

"Asami..." Akihito moaned, body whip-cord tight as the release coiled in his belly, threatening to unravel through every pore in his body. Asami squeezed their cock heads together, smearing precome before gliding over the expanse of their lengths again.

Asami grunted. He was so close, so damn close and it felt like forever since any of this ever felt this good. Only with Akihito, only with his mate. The baby kept kicking as Akihito's body contracted, he could see it and something about that spurred him on, made him pump faster, harder until Akihito doubled over with a shout, spilling cum all over Asami's abdomen and fingers and his own vision whited out, splashes of dark radiant colors dancing behind his eyelids as he closed them, threw his head back into the pillow and rode out the wave of his own release, feeling the cum from his own cock mixing with Akihito's in a rapidly cooling pool in and around his navel.

"God..." Akihito groaned before he lightly rolled to the side, spent and panting, covering his eyes with both hands.

"Look at me," Asami demanded and Akihito did, unerringly. He was a little surprised when Asami used his clean hand to cup his cheek and kiss him so passionate and deep it took away what breath he'd managed to take into his lungs a moment before. Then just like that Asami was gone, heading to the bathroom to clean up and he felt the pull away like a tug on his already fragile heart.

Asami came out of the bathroom minutes later, after a shower, to the sight of Akihito curled on his side, one hand under his head with his eyes closed and the other hand over his stomach. He got in the bed beside him, not sure what Akihito's reaction would be now that the high of their physicality had dissipated. A few minutes later he decided to take a chance. He wrapped a hand gently around Akihito's middle, smiling at the sigh of contentment that left his lover's lips.

No words were spoken, none was needed and entwined in each other's arms is how they fell asleep that night, for the first time mostly free of doubt on their standing with each other.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're...wobbly..."

Akihito pointedly ignored Asami, grousing while he made his way to the fridge for some orange juice to drink right after waking up. Of course he was wobbly, he had a huge ass stomach in front of him that causes back pain and the occasional swollen feet. This kid would love soccer, he could tell already and he started walking around a lot with one or both hands on his side or lower back, trying to ease some of the discomfort he was feeling from the pressure. He started pulling out the litre bottle of juice and opened it while turning to Asami. "I know you've been sleeping here for a few days but I'm only going to get bigger, so get use to it already."

Asami had seen pregnant people before, but a pregnant Akihito was a whole other level of beautiful and he couldn't help cataloguing every change in personality and physicality. "I doubt you'll get any bigger than this, you might burst."

He should take it as Asami being playful, but he just wasn't in the mood because Asami was the sole reason he was even going through this and he harbored a little resentment for the man's non problematic state. Why can't alphas develop the genetics to get pregnant so they can experience the same pain as an omega? Why was life so unfair?

Akihito downed a few mouthfuls of juice before turning to his mate, heat already rolling off him, but he chose to ignore it, he was feeling very uncomfortable as of late. The baby would be due in three months and in another two he would be eligible for maternity leave. Besides, he figured he might be developing genophobia; a week with Asami in his bed and they haven't had intercourse at all. Asami hadn't offered and he hadn't asked because all they've had since the handjob was another handjob and a few blowjobs. It's not that he didn't want to, but whenever the opportunity came the fear coursed through his body and he'd shy away from the prospect of intercourse. Not only did Asami fuck him up the ass, but he fucked him in the head too and he took his mounting problems all out on Asami, laid them at his feet and wouldn't apologize for how he was. It was all Asami's fault from the get go after all. None of his wiring were that faulty until he met the man.

"I'm doing the ultrasound this morning. I have an appointment with Kurodo-Sensei at 7, are you still coming?" Akihito asked while he took a bite from the cup of rice and mackerel laid on a plate on the counter, obviously for him.

Asami nodded. "Told you I would, I cleared my schedule for the morning."

Akihito took another bite of his food, not looking at Asami when he asked, "Boy or girl?"

Asami looked at him questioningly and Akihito explained, "Do you have a preference?"

Asami didn't really have to put any thought into it. He just wanted a healthy baby. "No. You?"

Akihito shrugged while pushing his rice around with his chopsticks. He wanted a boy. "No, I don't have any preferences either."

Asami knew from Akihito's inflection that that answer wasn't so cut and dry. He wondered if he could get him to open up about whatever else was on his mind. "You sure?"

Hormone alert; anger rising due north and closing in in T-minus 4-3-2-1... The chopsticks clattered on the plate. "What the hell do you mean am I sure? I shouldn't even have to be thinking about this. So what if I want a boy, why do you care all of a sudden?"

Asami had become used to Akihito's mood swings, so while his lover sat there panting after his mini rant, he just took him by the arm and pulled him into his own lap, kissing him once on the lips, then a peck on the tip of his nose and another on his forehead before he nuzzled into his neck and held him close. "Don't get upset, I wasn't trying to cause an argument."

Akihito deflated. Stupid hormones. He ran a hand up to Asami's crown, pulling lightly on tufts of unkempt hair on the man's head. "Yeah, sorry. We should get ready for the ultrasound now. I'm gonna shower, then go to work after."

"Fine," Asami agreed, knowing that he had a few loose ends to tie up of his own.

...

An hour later the two were in the ultrasound room and Akihito lied on the single bed just like Kurodo-sensei instructed while Asami stood close by, taking everything in with keen interest.

"Ok, so this is done to monitor the health of the fetus and the fluids in the abdomen," Sensei explained while he squirted blue gel from a bottle on to Akihito's exposed stomach.

The liquid felt a little cold and uncomfortable but not too much and Akihito watched as the man grabbed something attached to the machine by his head with a monitor.

"Now this is a transducer. Combined with the gel it uses sound waves to create an image on the monitor of what is inside your stomach," the Doctor further explained while he moved the item through the gel, gliding it over Akihito's stomach.

Both Asami and Akihito watched transfixed while a black and white image of their baby in the abdominal fluid was created on the screen.

Tiny hands and feet and a head was visible and Akihito covered his mouth with one hand in shock. Seeing his child for the first time felt incredibly breathtaking. He wanted to gauge Asami's own reaction but couldn't take his eyes away from the image before him.

"And, I see the female reproductive organs..."

"So it's a girl," Asami said breathless, not being able to tear his eyes away from his daughter either. He could tell already she would be one beautiful baby. He felt his heart swell with pride.

"There is no evidence of birth defects and she does seem to be growing rather nicely: good bone structure and a strong heart," the doctor commented offhandedly while he kept his eyes on the monitor. He pushed a few buttons and brought the baby's chest into focus. "If you want, you can hear her heart beating."

"Yes," Akihito nodded eagerly and the Doctor pushed a button, then the staccato of the heartbeat filled the room, strong and proud and one of the most beautiful sounds Akihito had ever heard. His smile was blinding. "That's amazing."

Subconsciously Asami grabbed one of Akihito's hand, squeezed it and held on the entire time. Akihito could see the emotion in his eyes and knew this child will be loved unconditionally. No questions about it.

"We can print a copy of the image for you to take home, would you want that?" the Doctor asked.

Akihito nodded eagerly. "Yes."

While waiting on the print, the Doctor explained that due to Akihito's high risk status and the fact that he had only three more months before reaching full term, he would be monitored on a more regular basis. He outlined some of Asami's role in making sure that Akihito had help in case of an emergency. He laid out warning signs to look out for and how to deal with them if anything should happen. They talked for a little bit more, then Asami dropped Akihito off at work, decided to come in and order a coffee and danish at the last minute, for which Akihito was not fastidiously jealous that all the girls were ogling his mate.

No, he wasn't the least bit jealous.

...

A week later, Akihito took time out of his half hour break time to walk the short distance to the soft cream stand three minutes down the road from where he worked. He had been craving eel ice cream for a few days after Takato bought it for him and brought it to his apartment. Takato swore it tasted good and Akihito was skeptical but he gave it a go and well...here he was feeling like he'd wither like a prune if he didn't at least taste it by now. Akiko was worried about him making the walk by himself, but nobody else was available and it wasn't far anyway. He'd finally managed to convince her that he would be fine on his own and would get back before his 25 minutes was up. She reluctantly agreed and now here he was, sitting around a stone table in the little park behind the stand while enjoying his treat. He wasn't expecting anybody to join him, so when an unknown person wearing sunglasses and an overcoat just plopped down beside him he was startled stiff, wondering who and why.

"Takaba."

Recognizing the voice, Akihito drew in a breath and asked, "Hiroshi-san?"

The man nodded minutely. Hiroshi Sho had been Yamaka-san's partner for the last five and half years on the force and even though Akihito was never as close to this man as he'd been to Yamaka, he still considered him a friend. To Akihito, Hiroshi seemed a bit hard though, no warmth or friendliness in his demeanor. At all. "Hey, how are you?"

The man looked down at his stomach with a barely constrained snare and Akihito used a hand to cover his bulge reflexively. He imagined if he could see the eyes behind those glasses they would be expressing clear disdain. His own eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Hiroshi looked around then, scouting out the parametre before returning his gaze to Akihito, smug and a little self righteous. "Never thought you'd be the one to bring another vile Asami into the world, Takaba."

Akihito's fingers went slack and the ice cream fell from his hands on to the table. It took a moment to regain his composure from the temporary shock that settled over him from the man's words, but when he did, the anger rose like a serpent about to strike. "Don't you fucking dare speak ill about my child..."

"Nothing you say will change the truth, Takaba. Do you know what Asami does? Embezzlement, weapons trade, human trafficking and murder? Just to name a few."

"You son of a bitch," Akihito bit out, having no arguments because even though he didn't see it, no matter how much Asami tried to shield him from the shadier part of his business he knew. It's why he never wanted to have any sort of engagement with the man in the first place. It was why it broke his heart so badly to learn that Asami was his mate. He couldn't look Hiroshi in the eyes. Something was placed before him and he looked on the table to see forensic photos of bodies. Dead bodies that suffered through horrendous deaths. Gunshots, stabbings. A woman and a child.

A little girl.

Everything he swallowed since he woke up painted the green grass beside him in multi-colored chunks and bile as he retched uncontrollably, feeling his stomach constrict until it felt like his lungs wanted to combust from lack of oxygen, like the contents of his stomach wanted to claw its way up his oesophagus. When he sat back up, he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand while unshed tears pooled in his eyes.

"Yeah, cry, Takaba. You're involved in this now, you'll never be safe. Best case? You run, you and your child. Better case, you get rid of it, do us all a favor so Asami won't have anything to look back on when we take him down. Because we will, Takaba. We've been working on this for years and trust me when I say he's going to wind up either dead, or behind bars for the rest of his life. Think about that the next time you decide to open your legs for him."

It was cruel, cold and heartless. Akihito couldn't believe the man's approach, how he laid it on thick, making him feel worthless and used and wrong. How he tried to destroy the existence of his child before she got here. It was that more than anything that he chose to focus on, to channel his anger into, putting his grief on the back burner for the incense twisting his insides almost painfully. It was the fact that whatever misgivings Hiroshi may have with Asami, he was willing to take it out on their unborn child so easily. He seemed even more heartless to Akihito now than Asami ever did, past or present.

Nobody, nobody would ever make his child a casualty of war.

Firming his resolve, Akihito looked from the sight of a little boy chasing a balloon before him to turn cold, serpentine hazel eyes to the man beside him, who for all intent and purposes, seemed genuinely surprised by the hard look in his eyes.

Akihito's voice dropped an octave when he spoke. "Listen to me, you son of a bitch. If you think you can come here and threaten our child, Asami won't be the only thing you have to worry about. You need to remember I can sink you faster than you can sink Asami. You might not have grown me directly with Yamaka, but I've never been an idiot and I've figured out some pretty big secrets you've been keeping over the years. The jewellery heist in Yokohama? Or the police informant that turned up dead in Okina four years ago?" Akihito drew in a deep breath. "Yamaka's son?"

Hiroshi recoiled as if stung. The cocky, self assured attitude was replaced by deep seated fear. Fear that was obvious when the man licked his lips and looked around them nervously. "Look, Takaba..."

"My child, Hiroshi. Don't fuck with my child," Akihito hissed dangerously low before he stood and took a few steps. He had all intention of walking away when the next words left his lips unbidden, "And don't you dare fuck with my man."

Akihito strode away, belligerent in his beleif that this was just a ploy to get to Asami, to get through to him somehow since Hiroshi had said it himself, they've been trying for years with no luck. Akihito remembered the love and adoration on Asami's face when he saw his unborn child for the first time this morning, and he suddenly realized that Asami's family was his very own Achilles heel. He realized that they'd become fodder for Asami's enemies and the big question now was whether he wanted to live his life like this or not? Did he want his child to be looking over her shoulder her entire life? Would Asami always be able to protect them from the darkness that dragged him off to god knows where everyday?

Akihito was never ignorant, nor was he a fool and as he hurried back to the shop he decided to take the rest of the day off.

This had to be sorted out. He needed to speak to Asami right now. Getting Akiko to let him go home early because of an 'upset' stomach was easy. The phone call to Asami felt hard.

"Meet me at home in twenty minutes."

When Asami offered to have Kirishima pick him up, Akihito didn't refuse. He didn't want to leave himself open to any more unwelcomed 'visitors'.

...

"You look pale," Asami commented when he walked through the apartment doors, greeted with the sight of a closed off Akihito on the couch. He could tell this wouldn't be an easy talk. Something had happened, he was sure of it.

Akihito nodded before scooting over so he had ample room when Asami sat beside him, eyes a mask of worry over blank features. He was worrying Asami and it was obvious. The few minutes he'd had to himself before Asami's arrival left his nerves frayed at the edges with worry and anticipation of the miasma of bad feelings building inside him. But when that door opened and Asami walked in, regal and breathtaking in a way he hadn't allowed himself to notice before, he realized it might be because he needed the man more than he was willing to ever admit. He'd thought of leaving, taking his child and run, but he'd seen enough to know that will never be a permanent solution. He was a photojournalist, telling stories long enough with pictures to see that happen countless of times. People's past always catches up with them in some way or another. He realized, more than anything, that he couldn't leave Asami behind. He looked down at his hands fisted in his lap and drew in a breath before starting.

"Whatever you're involved in, I don't want to know. I've always seen you as shady, and somewhere over the past ten months my feelings have blurred that to some degree. I've thought many times of leaving, but can't. All the same, I need to know that whatever happens, our daughter is safe. Always. I need you to promise me..." And it was a surprise to Akihito to feel hot tears trailing down his cheeks. "...That no matter what, you will protect her with your life. Keep her safe and..."

Akihito allowed Asami to cup his cheeks, turn his head so he could look at him through tear blurred eyes before he wiped said tears away, then kiss him so tender and sweet it spoke volumes of the promise without words.

When Asami placed a lingering kiss on those soft, sweet lips, he pulled back and vocalized his thoughts. "You, Akihito. I'll protect you with my life, because she is us, me and you, and whatever is bestowed on to you automatically falls to her. I'll lay down my life for you both, no questions asked, no second guessing."

Akihito whimpered against the kiss that followed Asami's declaration. It was enough, more than enough because Asami could do anything he put his mind and his pocket to, and if he wanted their daughter safe, she would be. If Asami wanted to love him, he would be loved, fully.

If Asami ever wanted to break his heart, he could. Completely. But Asami would make sure that people like Hiroshi never set foot near their blessing, and somehow she knew, because she was excitedly kicking up a storm in his stomach, like she was rooting for her father, rooting for them and that, more than anything, made Akihito fall completely, wholly, in Asami's arms that day and well into the night.


	12. Chapter 12

It was things like these that made Asami madder than a raging bull on PCP.

It wasn't things like men who tried to kill him-because they more than likely had a reason to-, people who tried to rob him or those who believed in any way that he was gullible. No, it was incompetence.

Sheer stupidity. The kind of stupidity that left Akihito and his unborn girl unguarded and open to the enemy. Losing one of the biggest trade routes he had in all of Japan to the enemy some years ago didn't cause this level of fear for Asami. It was sheer panic when Akihito had told him what happened after some of the most comforting sex they'd both had in months, complete with palpitations, hot and cold tremors and sweating at the tale.

The thing was, it could have been anybody. Hiroshi's moral compass might have been skewered, but if the man wanted he could have done way more harm because the man before him, twitching as nervous energy rolled off him in waves, went on a fucking coffee break.

The enemy would only need one second, the man gave Hiroshi fifteen. Long enough for said man to call in a panic saying he'd lost track of Akihito, but not making mention of the fact that he wasn't glued to the kid like he should have been. After Akihito's story, Asami had sent Kirishima on recon, who found the coffee shop the man went to and he even got the exact flavor he ordered; how long he sat there and the name of the waitress he flirted with, the one that distracted him from his duties.

Asami had been called a lot of names, but he'll gladly own psychotic based on how he felt right now. In this moment, maybe something stronger would suffice.

Now, Takeda Jiro was always over-eager and the type of man that spent more time doing his personal business than work, which Asami sometimes overlooked for Union reasons because Takeda's blunder had never caused him to actually fear. Asami paid this man too much money for the type of mess created the day before, so he didn't say anything for a good fifteen minutes while the man stood there stewing in his own worries. He felt a flash of satisfaction when he suddenly reached in his desk drawer for a pen, but Takeda must have thought he was reaching for a gun because the man whimpered before fidgeting as if to run. Asami had taught all his employees not to speak unless spoken to, so he didn't spare him a glance when he slammed the drawer shut with an audible bang, for which Takeda almost jumped out of his skin. Asami only leaned over the desk and signed his signature on a memorandum.

Then, without even looking up, while reading over a report, he said a simple, yet menacing, "You're fired."

The man took off like a shot out of the office and Asami smirked. One less fuck up in the workplace. Sometimes he cursed in his head his most invaluable employees like Kirishima and Suoh, because while they would perform excellently in looking after his mate, they were indisposed in other departments where their flexibility was much more needed, where there was nobody with the proper expertise to replace them.

Kirishima was excellent with the books, doing in half the time what the most highest paid accountant could. Suoh was amazing with recon and information gathering, second to only Kirishima himself and a big part of keeping Asami's family safe was ensuring everything else was running smoothly and he kept on top of his game. He had to pay as much attention to his business and rivals as he does to his family for that to happen.

Akihito would stay out of his business if he kept work at the workplace -and shady business in the dark-. He had new found respect on top of all other feelings for Akihito since his mate was willing to try and reconcile his beliefs with his life now. It was more than he could ask for, more than he deserved with the way he wronged his mate. They had a lot of trust issues to work through, but he felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders when Akihito basically said he was willing to try, for the sake of their daughter and his own piece of mind.

Having a child for Asami Ryuichi will never go unnoticed and Akihito trusted him to be the one to look after them instead of running away or something equaly drastic. How did he ever get so lucky?

Asami took a deep breath, sat back in his comfortable leather chair while trying to figure out who would get the duty of watching his family next. In light of what happened, it wasn't an easy choice anymore.

...

The next night, Akihito was a nervous wreck. He knew he was the one to come to an agreement with Asami, but it didn't stop the angsting completely. He basically decided to be...what was it, the supporting mate? It was so foreign he hardly knew where to start.

Should he cook dinner? Should he greet Asami with a kiss when he got home? Should he draw a bath whenever the man got here?

iHoly crap, this is frustrating!/i Akihito thought to himself while he finished up his laundry. He wondered if he should wash the dirty suit of clothes Asami had in the hamper too. It was weird not thinking about just himself anymore. It was like a switch flipped in his whole disposition after that talk with Asami, then the multiple orgasms, like he involuntarily gave up some little part of himself because he suddenly cared a little about what he thinks Asami would want. He felt confused and a little overwhelmed, especially because the sex was mind blowing and he gave something of himself he never had before. He gave willingly. Even his body responded more openly to his alpha's proximity.

The sound of the lock turning in the door caught his attention and he hobbled out to the living room as fast as possible, watching Asami take off his shoes and hang up his jacket. He had no idea what to say or do.

"Hi," Asami greeted, a little lost as to why Akihito just stood there watching him with a hand on his lower back and the other on his stomach.

"H...hi. Um...how was your day?"

Akihito shrugged nervously and Asami raised an eyebrow in question. That was weird. Especially since Akihito had never cared to ask before. He stepped closer to his lover, who kept watching nervously before answering with a cautious, "Good, it was good."

Akihito's eyes flitted between Asami's face, his chest and the cufflinks that he was currently undoing, mind stuttering for what to say next. Realizing he had no clue, he just deflated. He could feel himself heating up at the man's proximity though, hormones working overtime.

"Something the matter?" Asami asked curiously, wondering what was going through his mate's head.

Akihito shrugged. "I have no idea what to do now since we're..." He tapped one finger on his lips, brows drawn in question. "...Are we in a relationship?"

Asami was marginally taken aback. He thought that was obvious. "Yes, Akihito, we are in a more compatible relationship now. You agreed to try to make this work...under certain terms, of course."

Akihito nodded furtively. "Ok. Ok, so...should I like, cook or something? Are you hungry?"

Akihito pointed to the kitchen, made to walk towards it and Asami held on to his wrist and stopped him in his tracks. He pulled him close, back to chest, and used one set of fingers to play with the downy hair at the back of his neck while the other travelled softly down his arm until their fingers were intertwined. Reassurance, a promise. His lover tilted his head to the side, exposing the creamy skin of his neck and Asami couldn't not take the bait. His breath came in soft pants and he kissed and sucked a bruise into the pale skin, murmuring, "I am hungry, but not for food."

Akihito chuckled, willing himself to give over completely, shivering as his body responded to the ministrations. He carded his free hand through Asami's hair, tugging on tufts of strands. "I can see that."

Asami laced his fingers around Akihito's chest lightly, pulled back and frowned mildly. "You know, it's weird, hearing you ask me about my day instead of threatening to change the lock or kick me out."

Akihito laughed, low and light, warm and bubbly. He knew exactly what Asami was talking about. He turned around so he could look him in the eyes, both hands on the man's biceps, breathing in the same air. "Yeah, that's a first. Know what else is a first?"

Asami shook his head, anticipation coiling in his gut.

"I'm horny."

Asami's expression flitted between amused and playful. "Wow, and you don't even look constipated saying it."

Asami pulled back when Akihito tried to slap him upside his arm, smiling brightly while Akihito radiated like a star in the room. He snorted, pulled his mate close and kissed him softly on the lips. His fingers were slow and sensuous as they travelled over whatever sinew was available, cupped Akihito's erection, then taking on a lascivious demeanor when those hazel eyes widened, pupils blown wide. He led Akihito to the couch, putting him to sit before removing his pants, fingers brushing over the heated skin. Careful, because he shouldn't be jostled or manhandled. Not too much, anyways. When Akihito's too hard erection was exposed, he kept his eyes on his face, coveting Akihito's willful reactions while he angled his head so he could suck him into his mouth. The blowjob was enticing, because Akihito was so willing and open and it just hit all the right buttons for Asami.

"Open your legs wider," Asami instructed while he settled a little more comfortably on his knees, trying to see over Akihito's stomach and failing on the down stroke. The cadence of Akihito's fuck-me voice sent little stabs of pleasure straight through his dick and caused warmth to spread throughout his entire body.

"Asami..." Akihito's breath left on a wisp, saying Asami's name like a reverent prayer while he flitted between gripping the cushions beside him until his knuckles turned white and carding his fingers through Asami's soft hair, guiding hs pace. It was too much and not enough and while Asami cocooned his cock in the hot cavern of his mouth and the warm slick of his tongue, Akihito felt close to bursting, body constricting with his mounting orgasm. He was slick from need, could feel his passage gearing up to take what his mate had to offer as it clenched and constricted rhythmically. Controlled fingers left a trail of fire wherever they touched, like his body was following the tune of desire as everything tunnel visioned down to his mate and the vacillation of everything he was feeling.

Akihito's musk was intoxicating and the feel of his cock on Asami's tongue was exhilarating. Not to mention his mate's taste was stimulating and Asami used a finger to play with the rim of Akihito's hole before slipping it inside, loving the way Akihito arched into his mouth and the pitch of his voice increased.

"Stop, stop. Asami...I'm gonna..." Akihito felt like he couldn't breath, like the force of his impending orgasm was taking his breath away and he closed his eyes tight and clenched his fists, body heating up further. The urgency was profound and when Asami pushed a finger inside and curved the tip, colors exploded behind his eyes as he cried out through his orgasm, losing himself for a moment until the gut clenching feeling started to subside.

Asami swallowed everything. Sweet and tangy and hot. He was so horny himself it was increasingly uncomfortable, but he'd wanted to please his Akihito before he pleased himself, watching the rise and fall of his chest and his fluttering eyelashes. He stood and held out a hand to his overwhelmed lover. "Care to join me in the bedroom?"

Akihito stared at the outstretched hand, a gesture of trust, and took it, affording Asami the ability to help him up on wobbly feet. "Yeah, let's go."

...

"Alright, so, grocery shopping?"

"Or...baby shopping?"

"What?!" Akihito asked in alarm, looking up at his two friends from the window he was gazing into. Takato had the impromptu grocery list but Kou was guessing off the top of his head what they were going to buy because Akihito was window shopping a baby store front.

"Don't look so alarmed, you say you want a few groceries but you stop at every baby store on the way," Takato pointed out. They decided on a short walk down to the grocery store; minor exercise was good for their bulging friend.

"We can go look inside," Kou offered. "I think Aki's mellow enough to look through baby stuff."

Akihito stopped short, turning to gaze at Kou. "Mellow enough?"

"You're getting some, you're a lot less cranky lately, hence the remark," Takato offered nonchalantly while Kou nodded his head in agreement.

"You have like a...'just got laid' attitude right now, so yeah; mellow." Kou laughed after nodding at Akihito.

Akihito blushed up to his ears. "Hey, so what if I'm getting laid? if you guys piss me off any more I just might go into labor right here on the sidewalk just to spite you, so can it!"

"Alright, alright. So is this the baby store you want to visit? It is rather upscale," Takato said, looking around at the pristine neighborhood of high class Tokyo.

"Yeah, yeah..."

"The father is iloaded/i," Kou whispered to Takato conspiratorially, even though he wasn't lowering his voice too much.

"Yeah, remember the house in Azabu?" Takato asked dreamily.

"You guys," Akihito whined. "Why don't you stop talking about my business like I'm not here and we'll go and see what they sell in a baby store."

Kou snorted, "Sure. Alright, let's go inside and see what's up."

Akihito looked around before he crossed the threshold into the building, looking for the familiar car that's been following him around all morning. He needed to make sure Asami's back up was present to prevent the harassment he had to endure a few days ago. With his almost bursting stomach, he wouldn't be effective in defending himself if it came down to it and he wanted to make sure Asami kept his word about protecting them. And sure enough, he spotted it parked some metres away across the street, windows tinted, right in full view of the building. He could feel eyes watching him although he couldn't see them. Good.

"Aki?"

Takato's concerned voice broke Akihito out of his thoughts and he looked back at his friend in a hurry. "Yeah, let's go."

Takato nodded and they entered.

It was a baby store, with baby items and Akihito had no clue what the hell to buy. There were varying sections with strollers, baby monitors, toys, nursery sets, beddings, baby gates and formulas. Babies wore clothes though, first and foremost, so he figured he'd start in that section. It's not like Asami didn't stack up on mountains of baby things already at one of his more luxurious houses that Akihito didn't know about, he'd said when the topic came up, and Akihito just wanted to ido/i something for this baby himself and not leave it all up to Asami and his lackeys. So he left behind the money Asami left for him to go shopping with because he insisted on doing it himself, just this once, and took his own money that he worked for to spend. If it didn't work out between them in the future, he could always move out with the handful of things he bought himself, didn't he?

"I know she'll look so cute in this," Kou squealed, holding up a pink, cotton pin under with chibi Pikachu imprinted on the front in customary yellow. He grabbed about a half dozen more and Akihito couldn't hold back a grin.

"Yeah, cute." Akihito smiled and Kou grabbed it up, shoving it in his basket. He looked down the aisle to realize Takato was concentrating deeply on the cute girls shorts section and he smiled wider.

"Hey, Aki, she won't look too cute in this, will she? Because I have something waiting for those vile pedophiles I hear about on the news so often," Takato said seriously and it warmed Akihito's heart. He shook his head no.

"I'm sure, you have a baby monitor already, right...?"

"How many feeding bottles will you need? Can you have too much...?"

"Which formula is the best...? And cute shoes...!"

"Ribbons! Ooh, so pretty..."

Takato and Kou were so excited they made baby shopping so much fun!

It's been days, but his friends have been so supportive it feels like he could get through this, having his first child and overloading on the support. He turned back to look at the toys he was viewing and smiled a smile he felt down to his soul.

For the first time in months, he felt as close to happy as he's ever been.


	13. Chapter 13

"Asami-sama!"

Asami was walking along with Kirishima and Suoh down the hallway, on their way to Sion's boardroom when he he heard Elizabeth Harley's voice, his forty year old that looked-like-thirty omega strategist who ironically, he was on his way to meet. He stopped and appraised her approach, taking note of the of the glitter wrapped baby basket in one hand and the briefcase in the other. He raised one eyebrow when she approached him with a high flush in her cheeks, heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

"Sorry, Sir." She thrust out the basket suddenly, using it to hide her sheepish expression. "Congratulations, Sir. I wanted to give you this in private but couldn't find you or Kei-san or any other responsible person I felt could give it to you and I didn't want to leave it at the front desk or with your secretary...it seemed impersonal."

Asami's cheeks suddenly felt warm, and he could tell from his peripheral vision that the only other people in the hallway were trying inconspicuously to eavesdrop but failing. They were so obvious. It's not like he didn't know that gossip thrived in his own organization just like any others, but Elizabeth was the first to acknowledge his journey into fatherhood outright and because of that, he could say he was pleasantly shocked. He took the basket though, muttered a 'Thank you," and then the four of them awkwardly turned to walk away together towards their destination. Whatever Asami wanted to say to Kirishima died on his tongue as he thought about Akihito, his coming daughter and his future.

And how weird he must look carrying a basket of baby goodies in one hand for anyone passing by to see?

...

"According to information from our research and analysis department, lowest on the list of our product/service portfolio is the clothing store we launched two years ago in Taiwan. Revenues are down and so far we are breaking even..."

Asami listened passively to the information gathered on his venture into other markets. If he wanted to be successful, he had to be constantly evolving and as the saying goes...you win some and you lose some.

Somehow, Asami could feel the presence of the innocuous baby basket sitting on a small table behind him as much as he could feel the presence of everybody else in the room. Intermittently, his thoughts strayed to his pregnant mate, how elated he was to finally have him and the knowledge that soon, very soon, little 'Princess Asami' will be gracing all with her enigmatic presence.

Locked in the boardroom with himself, Kirishima, Suoh and Elizabeth were four General Managers hired to oversee his independent and chain businesses. They spent about an hour and a half going over sales analysis and strategic divestments when a rapid succession of frantic knocks sounded outside the door.

Shocked and a bit mystified, the speaker stopped talking and everyone's eyes fixated on the polished, oak doors. The person that knocked didn't wait to be acknowledged and Asami's eyebrows drew into a frown when his secretary, frantic and distracted, shoved her way inside and looked straight at him.

"Asami-sama..." she swallowed thickly and somehow Asami knew what she had to tell him must have been the worst kind news. And nothing could be worse than something happening to his family. His heart started beating frantically in his chest. "There was a complication, Sir. Takaba's been rushed to the hospital."

Asami's chair skidded with a noisy clatter as he stood too suddenly, rushing towards the woman while he grabbed his jacket, ignoring the questioning gaze of everyone else. "When, what happened, where is he?"

"Half an hour ago, he was suffering through a tonic-clonic seizure and then admitted. Keio University, Sir."

Asami turned to acknowledge his subordinates, the staccato of his heartbeat roaring in his ears. "This meeting is dismissed until further notice. Suoh, you're with me. Kirishima, follow up on my insurance, make sure Takaba's covered and everything is ready in case of another emergency."

"Hai," they all answered with a small bow and Asami rushed out of his office and down to his car, praying while Suoh tore out of the parking lot that things were ok. While heading there, he took his phone out and dialled the man sent to keep tabs on his mate.

The man answered immediately.

"What happened?"

The man explained how Akihito had developed a sort of routine over the time he's been watching him and when the kid was absent for his usual mid-morning walk, he became concerned. After a few minutes when he went to check up on him, he found Akihito seizing inside the apartment.

"Why didn't you call my phone?"

"The network was giving problems, Asami-sama."

Asami sighed. "Alright, thank you."

Fucking phone companies. What if Akihito had tried to call him too at some point and couldn't get through?

He hung up, praying that whatever was happening, Akihito and his daughter would get through it safely. Even though Akihito wasn't at work for the time being, he wasn't due for another two weeks, but it looked like his baby girl was ready and would be here soon. He prayed she arrived safely.

...

The hospital had the nauseating type of endless white Asami hated, plus the disinfectant smell used to cover ruined and/or damaged flesh. Hospital visits for him were always about pain and suffering, but he swallowed the discontent he felt with the location because Akihito would be fine. So would his daughter be.

He approached the woman at reception sitting around her computer typing at an unseen keyboard. He grabbed the 'guest' sign in book and put his signature there before asking, "Takaba Akihito?"

The woman looked up at his face with a stony glare while she typed, glanced at the book, recognition dawning in her eyes, and then she looked at the monitor before answering politely. "Second floor, room six."

"Thank you," Asami answered with a small bow. He didn't have the time to acknowledge her earlier attitude, he was only worried about Akihito and the baby.

Room six was empty. Asami felt the beginnings of a panic attack setting in. He turned to Suoh, who has been shadowing him silently the entire time. "I need information. Go down the hall to the nurse's station and see if you can find out anything else, I'll talk to the doctor down the other end."

Suoh nodded then took off. Asami approached the man in the lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck that was lost in the chart he was reading, barely paying attention to his surrounding. When Asami cleared his throat, the man looked up at him with a surprised smile.

"Hello, how may I help you? My name is Dr. Isao."

"Asami. I'm looking for Takaba Akihito, his room is empty."

"Aaaah," the doctor drawled in sympathy and Asami felt his stomach bottoming out. That response _didn't_ encourage his type of hope and he was eager and afraid to find out what was wrong with his mate.

"Are you family?"

"I'm his mate."

The man nodded. "Right. Asami?"

The man flipped the charts and read a page before saying, "You're his emergency contact. We tried calling you but there wasn't any connection."

Asami gritted his teeth. He was definitely changing phone service when this was over.

"The EMT safely sedated and brought the patient out of his seizure enroute here. We ran tests and detected gestational hypertension. His blood pressure was 180/125 and there was no protein in his urine. This condition creates the possibility for maternal or fetal death because it's possible to develop placenta abruption. So we gave him Methyldopa and he reacted instantly to the drug. Since it started working immediately and he's far enough along, we prepped him for emergency C-section with his consent, which he's currently undergoing in one of our operating rooms."

Asami didn't know he could get any more fearful than he was before, but he did when he heard that there's a possibility that one or both might die. It was his worst fear confirmed. Body vibrating with nerves, he asked, "Can I see him?"

The doctor looked at him. "You can't be in the room but you can watch from a glass partition outside. The surgery isn't really a major one and mates get special privileges. I'll show you the way."

Asami nodded. Suoh came back and he instructed him to keep watch until he got back. He was about to witness the birth of his daughter and there were no adequate words to describe his apprehension at that moment.

As rare as it was Asami silently prayed. He prayed for the life of his daughter and that of his Akihito.

What if he lost them? Where would he end up mentally with a link in the solid family chain broken.

What would he become?

The room was white. Typical. But the operating table was a blue that touched on Asami's nerves like a hot brand. There was a blue partition that separated Asami's view from Akihito's body so the only thing visible was his head on the table with his eyes closed and the top of the covered heads of the attending doctor and his assistant.

Asami held his breath, what little he could see of the doctor's movements making it clear the man was _literally_ inside his Akihito. He looked to the doctor beside him, expecting an explanation of how, why, when? He was about to open his mouth and ask when a shrill cry rent the air from inside the room. Asami's eyes became riveted on what he couldn't see behind the curtain and what he could see of the fluttering open of bleary hazel eyes. The doctor raised the bundle to inspect it and with both hands plastered to the glass, he made a reverent whisper.

"She's here."

...

Akihito felt a numb, a leaden weight throughout his consciousness as awareness slowly came back to him. He wanted to open his eyes and move, do something, but it was like he was being held immobile by an invisible force. He couldn't remember anything, not where he was or why and it took a few seconds for him to realize he was in a hospital.

Phantom aches and pain were clawing at him all over his body and the overhead light made the room seem brighter than it had any right to be. Time flowed like molasses and his sight was sluggish and slow. He tried to lift one hand to touch his pounding head and could feel the oximeter on his finger and the IV in his vein overlapping with every other ache in his body. Especially his stomach.

"Take it easy..."

A hand appeared out of nowhere to card through his hair softly and Akihito turned his eyes to where the sound came from, only to land eyes on Asami.

"Asami...what...?" Akihito croaked, confusion clear on his face.

"You're recovering in the hospital," Asami answered matter of fact.

Akihito's frowned deepened, but then it dawned on him what might have happened. He looked down at his stomach and it was a whole lot smaller. "Oh. Where is she?"

"Nursery," Asami answered before grabbing a glass of water with a straw inside from the table and putting it to Akihito's lips. He took huge, grateful gulps before Asami pulled back.

"Nursery? Is she ok?" Akihito asked behind a cough. It could be nothing, but it could be something all the same. Why did it hurt so much just trying to stay awake?

"She's fine, she'll be there a few hours since she's early, just to make sure she's fully developed and everything's alright," Asami answered, repeating what the doctor told him. He could see his mate's fingers moving restlessly and he held his hand in his, anchoring him.

Akihito relaxed in the bed with a sigh, looking up at the ceiling before turning to gaze at Asami again. "Did you see her?"

"Yes. She's beautiful."

Akihito smiled warmly. He knew she would be, and his gaze never left Asami's face. He could see so much in the man's features now that he was looking for it. Asami was extremely happy with his family of 3.

"I can't wait to see her," Akihito sighed before closing his eyes for a second. He was so tired he could barely focus and the pain in his stomach was a little under the side of overwhelming. His entire body hurt.

"Get some sleep and you will," Asami said softly, leaning over so he could kiss his mate on the forehead. As soon as the blond was completely out he stood and left the room, walking down to the nursery and peering through the glass at the rows of incubators and cribs. His eyes landed on the sleeping bundle of blankets labelled 'Asami K.' and the smile on his lips formed unbidden. Her eyes were closed and a tightly closed, tiny fist stuck out near her tam covered head and it just seemed like the world was a much brighter place because she fought and made it.

...

"Hey."

The voice was distant but clear. Akihito opened his eyes and looked blearily ahead, taking in his surroundings once again.

"Akihito?"

The voice registered again, from beside him and Akihito looked straight ahead first, glimpsing first thing the tray with hospital food. Then his eyes drifted over to see Asami, a bundle of blankets close to his chest, held with both arms. He swallowed thickly. "Mmm?"

"You wanted to see her, haven't you?"

Akihito looked over at the window, realized it's night and then languidly returned his gaze to Asami and the bundle. He felt so disoriented and out of it. He wanted to be left alone. "Sure, let me see."

She was a gorgeous baby, newborn skin wrinkled and soft and he kept her close to his chest, not wanting to agitate the pain in his stomach. Her features were not distinguishable as yet, but she already resembled her father, Asami. The thin, downy hair plastered to her skull was black, but that could change as time progressed. Her eyes remained closed. Slowly and very careful he touched her hand with his index finger. As if on reflex, she curled her tiny fingers around his, snuffling and wriggling, holding tight.

Asami sighed, a careful exhale of breath and Akihito looked over at him, seeing the way the baby hung the moon in Asami's eyes; realizing this might never have about him. She was Asami's world and that was painfully obvious in this moment when Asami's eyes stayed riveted on her, when she was the centre of focus and he developed the half insane notion that he was just a mean to an end; the same feelings he had when he just found out he was pregnant. "Everything alright with her?"

"She's good. Doctor say she'll just stay overnight in the incubator for ventilation reasons, then tomorrow she'll be in a regular crib if we're not ready to take her home yet."

Akihito nodded, taking stock of all the pain he was feeling. It was mostly in his stomach now, obviously where he got cut. The discomfort from the catheter was under the surface of the skin on his hip. He handed the baby back to Asami.

"I know it's going to be painful but you shouldn't lie in bed all day. The doctor will be in to talk to you about that," Asami added.

Akihito nod, settling back into the bed, way too uncomfortable for anything more than what he could bear. "Fine."

He smiled when Asami kissed him on the forehead before lying still and waiting for sleep to claim him.

...

The next day the Doctor explained about post-natal care while Asami was present. Akihito got information about his pain medication, when he should ask for it and to let the nurse know if it wasn't working. He was informed how to properly wash himself, why his diet in the hospital contained salt free food, how to take care of his bandages and what to do if he became sick after leaving. That information was directed at both Asami and himself. Then he got the basic rundown of how to care for a newborn infant.

"Lying in bed isn't going to do you much favor either, Takaba. I advise you try to move around if even a little bit, it will help your body bounce back quicker and more efficiently," the doctor explained. Akihito nodded.

A half hour later Asami left to get him something to eat. He wanted a burger but Asami brought him fruits instead, worrying about the hypertension. He ended up eating a quarter of his dinner which was only possible because the doctor prescribed him stool softeners so he wouldn't hurt himself straining or pop his stitches in the bathroom. He cried the first time he tried to move.

...

Takato and Kou visited the next day in the morning and Akihito felt so happy to see them. They'd joked around and stuff until their anticipation got the better of them and they blurted that they were really here to see the baby. Akihito laughed before a nurse brought her in for her midday feeding. He took her, making sure not to rest her on his stitches before starting to feed, much to the awe of his two friends. He wasn't really comfortable feeding her though, he preferred when Asami did it because she almost choked on the milk the first time he tried. The nurse grabbed her up and patted her back until she calmed down. It was a traumatizing experience for Akihito.

"Wow, she's precious," Kou cooed, touching her little fingers and laughing when she flexed them at his touch. Then Takato leaned over and there was a warm gleam to his eyes that made Akihito smile.

"I guess she likes her bottle, huh?" Takato smiled, peering over Kou's shoulder, watching her suck down the formula hungrily.

Akihito nodded. "Yeah, she does." His other fingers played idly with the wool blanket, imagining she could feel his touch through the fabric, assuaging his own fears of choking her again.

"How much does she weigh?" Kou asked.

"More importantly, what's her name?" Takato followed before Akihito could answer.

Akihito grinned. "7 pounds and Asami Kiyome."

"Cool..." both friends answered in unison.

Just then, there was a knock before Akiko entered the room, a bouquet in her hand and a smile on her lips.

"Hi, Akihito," She said with a wave, a wide smile on her lips as she approached the bed.

"Oh wow, Akiko, you made it." Akihito's grin stretched wide. He introduced his friends to his boss.

She showed him the flowers and a card. "From all of us at the pastry shop."

Takato took the flowers and card before putting it on the table since Akihito was pre-occupied. "These look good," he commented offhandedly.

"Thank you."

The group of friends got caught up.

"So, where's the father?" Kou asked.

Asami chose then to show up, much to Akihito's embarrassment. All his friends kept staring at the man like he was a super-star. "Hey guys, meet Asami."

Asami took the baby, finishing up feeding her while bowing fleetingly to his friends. "Nice to meet you all."

Akiko blushed and the other two nodded slowly.

"Your alpha's really handsome," Akiko let slip before covering her mouth with a hand. "Sorry, sorry." She apologised profusely.

Akihito's cheeks puffed when he tried to stifle his laughter, looking to Asami who once again, only had eyes for his daughter. He doubted the man even heard what Akiko said. old haunts assaulted him before his smile fell by half, remembering the insecurity of feeling like a means to an end. He turned to look back at his friends. "It's alright."

"So, when do you leave the hospital?" Kou asked.

"By tomorrow, hopefully," Akihito answered, pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room his answer created. As long as he felt up to it, he would be leaving, no matter what anybody said.

"Awesome! We'll see you at home then."

After a moment they had to leave, Takato and Kou leaving behind a gift card for a spa and Akiko with a parting touch and well wishes. Asami didn't spare him any formalities as soon as his friends were out the door.

"You're leaving tomorrow, _really_?"

Akihito didn't feel as ensconced as he'd expected, just vulnerable and open in his new situation. He gingerly sat up in the bed, sighing. "The doctor said I could leave as soon as I can manage it."

Asami kept bouncing the baby in his arms before he put the bottle down, then he positioned her over his shoulder for a good burping. "You'll leave when I'm satisfied your condition is adequately better. Not before. You don't even look like you got any sleep last night."

Akihito sighed in frustration, clenching his fist and keeping his head down. True, he wasn't sleeping properly but that was besides the point. He was plagued with dreams of his daughter choking to death because of his clumsiness and Asami leaving him behind the first chance he got. Left behind like garbage. His wayward thoughts weren't improving his mood any.

Nobody liked to make noise around the baby so through clenched teeth Akihito said, "Being cooped up in this hospital room isn't going to help me get better any faster. I need to go home where I can feel comfortable if you're worrying about my sleeping."

Anything could happen in this hospital room. He wanted out.

"As long as the doctor says you can, then fine. Not before." Asami's gravitas was palpable and Akihito stared at the man's back, the baby's face resting on his broad shoulder. Ever since that first time Asami didn't allow him to feed the baby once he was around. He felt like a total and utter failure. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long day.

...

By the next day trips to the bathroom was still that painful, hurting enough to give him pause a few times. From his head to the tip of his toes hurt like nothing else and although Asami sometimes tried to help, it only made him more irritable and anxious. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Hold on to me so you don't fall."

Akihito held Asami's hand reluctantly, cursing how sick he still felt. The baby was sleeping in the nursery and although he sort of understood Asami wanting to spend the baby's sleeping time with him, he didn't like the attention in the least. Couldn't chase away the feeling that Asami had ulterior motives for wanting to keep an eye on him. He had hoped to leave two days ago, but unfortunately, he was still stuck in the same bed because of a slight infection. A put upon sigh left his lips as he gingerly laid back on the hospital bed, wishing he didn't have to rely on Asami or the doctors for things as mundane as taking a piss. He didn't want to be reduced to this.

"What's the problem, Akihito?"

There was waning curiosity in Asami's voice and Akihito answered more harshly than he intended. "Everything."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Asami asked, a dangerous, disbelieving edge to his voice. Lying in the bed, Akihito kept his eyes averted, not wanting to see the look on Asami's face. This should be a happy time, but he didn't feel as wholesome as he'd expected to after the entire pregnancy ordeal. He just wanted to feel like he was on top of the world again, like he could do anything or be anything. He just didn't believe too much in anything right now.

Akihito turned on his side, back to Asami with his head pillowed on one of his bent arm. "It doesn't mean anything, you can go see if the baby is awake."

Akihito gasped in frightened surprise when Asami forcefully turned him over on his back, a deep look of concern hidden behind hardened golden eyes.

"We aren't talking about the baby right now, we're talking about you. What's with the sudden attitude?"

"Nothing," Akihito hedged, not wanting to say anything. "I just want you to leave me alone."

Akihito squirmed until Asami let him go, then drew the thin cotton sheet over himself as if it was a fortress able to keep out the fire breathing dragon wanting to barge into his castle.

"Look," Asami started, resignation in his tone. "Something is obviously bothering you. I'm actually concerned right now. Should I get the doctor? Is something else going on?"

Akihito sighed once more, fidgeting with his fingers while keeping his eyes studiously on his hands. Could he say what he really wanted to say? Could he open up and talk about his feelings to a man that took what he wanted without care in the past regardless of what Akihito wanted?

Averting Asami's eyes, Akihito wondered if he could tell the man he wanted time away from him, the hospital, and time away from the baby right now...


	14. Chapter 14

**Sooooo...this is the end. I hope it's satisfactory and that all my readers enjoyed it. To all you reviewers, you are simple the best! Totally awesome!^^ Thank you and until next time...*bows humbly***

"Tell me what's going on, Akihito. I need to know," Asami said in the most non-threatening way he could, fearing what he suspected was more than likely the situation.

Akihito was depressed. His mate's downtrodden look and despondent behavior made it seem likely. But he didn't want to guess, he wanted to make sure. Pulling a chair up he sat down and tried to make eye contact, which Akihito refused to allow him. "You said everything was wrong, what do you mean, Akihito?"

Akihito sighed, pushed the bed sheet down his body before quickly changing his mind and pulling it back up. Anything to not feel naked and exposed. He gave Asami a fleeting glance, afraid of what he feared would be reflected in Asami's eyes for spoiling his happy moment now that his daughter was here. He was afraid of being judged and criticised for not wanting to throw a party like he knew everybody else, including Asami, expected. Trying to come across as brave, he took a shaky breath and answered, "I told you, everything is fine."

Asami laid his hand on top of Akihito's in his lap, rubbing slow circles over the soft skin, wanting to ease the tension any way he could. He needed to know Akihito would be safe and well. It was as important to him as if it was his daughter. Nobody came before these two.

"Restless, agitated, easily distracted, lack of appetite. Why didn't I see it sooner?" Asami asked, blaming himself for what he realized now that he was paying more attention. "You are depressed."

Akihito drew his hand back quickly, looking at Asami with startled eyes, wanting to deny that statement. "No, I'm not depressed! How could I be? The baby's here and I'm happy. So damn happy I want to go home!"

The last part was said with a slight note of hysteric and Asami knew he had to nip this particular problem in the bud before it festered into something uncontrollable. Ignoring what Akihito last said, he asked, "Do you have a problem being here with us right now?"

It was a hard question to ask, so painful it almost never left Asami's throat, but he needed to know. He spent time on the computer reading up on what was expected of Akihito throughout pregnancy and the topic of post-natal depression and anxiety came up. It was actually common, most reports stated and if recognized early, could be diffused with as little as support and love. If not, then medication and therapy once it developed into the more severe postpartum depression. The key was recognizing the symptoms as early as possible and dealing with it.

Tears welled in Akihito's eyes, his heart constricting painfully. It was true, wasn't it? He had thought of leaving for a bit, just to clear his head, not permanently, but he didn't think he could. He wasn't sure what to think. He shifted away from Asami, despite how painful the small move was with the cut in his abdomen, voice tight and accusing. "Is that what you think of me? That after having my baby I would just pack and leave for good? That I'd haul ass and never return, that...?"

"I didn't say anything about you not returning, Akihito." Asami cut in. "I know having your first child can be a life changing experience, especially with the wrong I'd done to get you here and all the doubts you've had throughout, and I'd take it back if I could, but I understand if you're overwhelmed and freaked and just need a breather, there's nothing wrong with that."

Akihito was nodding through his silent tears, agreeing with Asami on that point, but still circumspect about how much of his feelings he should divulge. What if he said the wrong thing despite Asami's attitude? What if he made a huge mistake? All Asami would need was his daughter, he was sure of that.

What if Asami was saying that so he could agree to leave them on his own without it looking bad on Asami? "Y-yeah, ok. Um, I can pack my bags and leave as soon as possible..."

Asami could read Akihito like an open book with font in Arial, size 96. He had to breath deep to hold back the urge to shake some sense into him; Akihito was taking his words out of context. Again. He needed to know _exactly_ what his Akihito was thinking. He rested a hand lightly on Akihito's hip, anchoring him, trying to dispel the haunted look in those hazel eyes with his own softened gaze.

"You. Are. Not. Going _anywhere_. Do you understand me? I'll never want you anywhere but by my side, nor will I ever turn you away, Akihito. I need you to understand that, to know I'm serious and there's nothing more important to me right now than you and her, my _family_," Asami finished, eyes alight with conviction, voice hardened with the truth.

Akihito knew Asami didn't say anything he didn't mean. He believed him, but... "But all you care about is the baby, and I know I deserve it after that first feeding but..."

Asami felt like there was an anvil on his head with the amount of miscommunication his actions had caused. He cut in before Akihito could go any further. "No, no, _no_, Akihito. Just no. I've never thought you would willingly hurt our daughter, nor did I blame you for the first feeding. I just figure with the surgery and all the pain you were feeling I could spare you whatever task I could until you felt better; was up to it. I wanted you to take care of yourself too; eat and sleep and get healthy. Nothing else."

Akihito wiped at his eyes and bit his bottom lip. He wanted so badly to just believe. Why couldn't he hold on to the confidence and strength he had before Asami? When had it slipped away? He didn't want to feel like this, so insecure and helpless but for some reason he couldn't help it. Despite anything else he might have told himself at any other time, he needed for Asami to just be there and support him. Support them.

"You were never a means to an end," Asami amended. Throwing caution to the wind he added, "I love you too much for that."

Akihito's head snapped up to Asami's face, his beating heart a staccato in his chest. Why was that sentence like a sledgehammer taken to his insecurities? Slowly grinding them into mercurial dust. It was enough to have him doubting his doubts while he held on to Asami's hand tightly. "Ok, ok."

Asami smiled. "I know things won't be instantly better, but we'll work on it together. Are you with me?"

Akihito nodded.

"You want this to work as much as I do, don't you?"

Akihito nodded again.

"Then promise me that the next time you feel this way you'll let me know. If anything overwhelms you, even if it is myself or our daughter, you'll tell me."

Akihito took a deep breath. "I promise."

With that Asami kissed Akihito softly on the lips, sort of like a 'sealing the deal with tenderness' moment. His hands were gentle as they touched his mate before he pulled back and sat upright in the chair.

"Now, how about we do something about your appetite and get you some food?" Asami asked, deciding to tackle the second bullet-point on his mental list regarding his mate.

Akihito didn't really feel too up to eating, but he was sure he wouldn't be alone in feeding himself this time. Deciding on something light, he answered, "Yakisoba."

Asami nodded. "Yakisoba it is."

The third bullet point had to do with feeding the baby. It's been a whole day since their talk and while Akihito was more open, he'd shied away from the prospect every chance he got. The baby had to be fed at regular intervals and each time Asami was there he had to do it because Akihito refused for one reason or another. Akihito would spend time with their daughter, lots of time actually, but once she was already fed. He needed to do something about it.

Waiting until the on-duty nurse did her rounds, Asami collected the baby, her bottle and made his way to Akihito's room, making up his mind about what he was about to do.

"Hey, she's awake," Akihito pointed out when Asami entered the room, baby bundle in one arm.

"Yes she is. And guess what? You're going to feed her," Asami said as he walked closer.

"No, Asami, I..." Akihito started to object, fidgeting in the bed because he knew Asami would make him do it. He would work up the courage eventually. He will. Just not at this very moment.

"Look, just try it this once, for us. I'll coach you through it, be there with you every step of the way. As a matter of fact, I asked the nurse for a brochure on the proper way to feed so you won't go into this so nervous. Here."

Akihito eyed the brochure Asami produced from his back pocket with his free hand warily, taking it against his better judgement. What could it hurt? He took a few minutes to read through it, all while Asami was pacing across the room with their daughter in his hands, trying to comfort her. It made a smile rise on his lips and his heart warm to see such a strong, proud man reduced to all the warmth and care such a frail and fragile baby would need.

She is in fact a miracle.

Akihito's eyes went back to the brochure and he read on the right angle to hold the bottle while feeding.

That's where he went wrong the first time.

_Like so much with babies, you'll need to listen and observe. If you hear a lot of noisy sucking sounds while she drinks, she may be taking in too much air. To help your baby swallow less air, hold her at a 45-degree angle. Also take care to tilt the bottle so that the nipple and neck are always filled with breastmilk or formula._

Never prop a bottle - it can cause your baby to choke. Besides, bottle-feeding, like breastfeeding, can be a wonderful time for nurturing your baby by holding his/her close. So take feeding time as an opportunity to snuggle and bond.

Asami couldn't hide his hopeful sigh when Akihito said magnanimously, arms stretched out and reaching for the baby. "Ok, I think I know what to do now, give her to me."

A week later Akihito was home, finally free from the confining hospital and able to walk around, albeit gingerly, on his own. Their home had become a bustling of activity centred around their daughter, and even Kirishima and Suoh got in on the action.

Babies internal clocks rarely ever worked on any type of schedule and it was four am in the morning and when little Kiyome was hungry, the entire house knew.

"I'll make the bottle, you go and get her," Asami yawned from the bed, tightening his robe around his body while he made his way down to the kitchen. He had to help Akihito with his responsibilities, after all. Balance things out. Last thing he wanted was an overworked, stress mate who would fall into depression again. He wanted to share a part of the burden.

"Fine, I'll go get her," Akihito groaned. She wasn't in the baby room, there was an extra crib in their bedroom just because they liked to have her close sometimes. It's the third time since night and he felt a pounding behind his eyes and in his head. When he scooped her out of her crib, he cooed at her and rocked her, trying to calm her some until her father came with the formula.

"Shh, shh, your dad will be here soon with food, don't cry, sweetheart," Akihito murmured softly over the wailing.

Asami smiled when he entered the kitchen to see both Kirishima and Suoh in PJs, standing around the kitchen counter and trying to figure how to make the bottle. Kirishima stood with a book in his hand, instructing Suoh who was covering the practical aspect of their task.

"Ok, the book says four ounces at one feeding should be enough," Kirishima directed at his partner.

Suoh took up the baby bottle and the bottle of spring water, looking at the measuring side and pouring three and a half ounces of water. The formula will make up the rest.

"Is it the formula with iron or the one without...or soy?" Suoh asked when he opened the kitchen cabinet to see at least three different type of formula tins.

"Too much iron causes constipation, give her the regular milk based one. I haven't seen Asami-sama or Takaba-san using the soy tin yet," Kirishima offered. All his reading up on taking care of a baby was paying off, he just wanted to help in any way he could. They'd both heard the baby crying and since they were sleeping in guest bedrooms downstairs, had decided to take up the task of making the bottle.

"Ok." Suoh read the instructions on the tin before using the scoop only once to put formula into the bottle with water. He screwed on the nipple before putting a cloth over it and shaking it hard enough to ensure it was mixed properly.

"Alright, now just rest it in the pot of hot water on the stove for a minute and then we're good. We can bring it upstairs," Kirishima sighed, closing the book.

"No need," Asami said after walking fully into the kitchen, bowing slightly to his subordinates after they bowed in greeting first.

"Asami-sama, we were hoping to get the bottle to you sooner," Kirishima said.

Asami smiled, walked over to the stove and took the bottle from the pot. He wanted the formula just this side of warm. "Thanks, I appreciate the effort."

Both Kirishima and Suoh answered with a heartfelt 'you're welcome, Asami-sama'.

"She'll be eight weeks old tomorrow," Asami commented offhandedly from his recline on the bed, reading a business magazine with reading glasses on his face. It was night, the baby was asleep in her own room and they were getting ready for bed.

Akihito had slipped out of the bathroom after a shower in robes and bunny slippers, and was pulling the sheet back on his side of the bed when he spoke. "Yeah, every day's a milestone, isn't it?"

"Mmhm," Asami agreed while turning the page he was reading.

"Just today she gave me a smile every time I walked into her room. Makes me so proud," Akihito finished with a smile, snuggling comfortably under the sheets with his face to Asami.

"Yeah, she's too cute. Anyway, how does your stomach feel?" By this time Asami was on his side, his head cradled on his bent arm and his face to Akihito's, eyes drinking in the soft texture of his skin and his pixel like features.

"It feels fine."

"Any phantom aches or pain? Any special movement that hurts?"

Akihito opened his eyes and looked at Asami, internally assessing his line of questioning. "No, I'm fine, just tired."

"Good."

"Why?" Akihito asked suspiciously. Asami never did anything without reason, so his tired brain was wondering what the jig was.

Asami didn't answer directly, just adjusted himself until he was able to kiss those soft lips and run his fingers under Akihito's shirt over his supple skin.

Akihito was initially surprised, but he moaned, it's been so long. He wasn't on suppressants anymore, but the ups and down of taking care of a newborn baby and home everyday left him too tired most nights to think of sex. He just wanted to get as much rest until the hecticness of the day repeated itself and he maxed out his energy reserves again. But he was on a variation of birth control made specially for omegas who wanted to take a knot without the fear of getting pregnant. Especially after just giving birth.

But this? This he had some reserve for. Now he saw why Asami wanted to know how he was feeling, if he was up to this. The heat of their mating pact tore through him at a frenzy, alighting every nerve ending. He was already self lubricating.

Nibbling on Akihito's bottom lip, Asami pulled back, their heated gazes locked. "If you're not up to it..."

"...I'll say so." This time Akihito was the one to pull Asami into a kiss, all wet tongue and hot breath. Their hands held each other close, communicating as effectively as if words were spoken. Their need for each other increased exponentially and they were sinking fast into the abyss of their ecstasy.

As much as Asami wanted to storm Akihito's ass like a tornado, he resorted to gentle caresses and soft touches. This wasn't about him, yet. Not yet.

"Sit up," Asami instructed after pulling back. Akihito obeyed and he pulled the cotton of his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side before he divested Akihito of his pants and underwear in one pull. Within the moment he could feast his eyes on a toned body worth every saliva formed in his mouth.

Akihito helped Asami out of his own clothing, taking the lengthy erection before him in both hands, feeling the weight and girth and rubbing the precome over the head. The pulsing veins stood stark against the heated skin and he pumped it a few times, loving the way it blossomed harder under his ministrations.

Asami groaned.

Akihito laid back on the bed and drew his legs up to his chest, exposing himself fully for his mate's view, licking his lips. "I want it in me."

Asami grinned, feral and predatory. "Of course, my cute Akihito."

Akihito took the baby on evening walks to the park whenever Asami was working. He needed the fresh air and the change of scenery as much as the baby did. Kirishima, Suoh or both always accompanied him. In times past he would have had a problem with their presence, but after what happened with the Detective more than six months ago he wasn't willing to put himself or their daughter at risk. If somebody wasn't with him, he stayed put.

It was a perfect fall day when Akihito visited the park with Kiyome in a stroller, Kirishima and Suoh not too far behind keeping an eye on them. The sun was warm but the air was crisp and he was enjoying the scenery and the other children and parents all over the place, when his stomach started rolling and he beckoned the two over hurriedly.

"Takaba-san, what is it?" Suoh asked, his frown evident even though he was wearing sunglasses. Along with Kirishima.

"I really need to use the bathroom, watch her for a minute, I'll be right back."

Takaba took off without a second glance and both Kirishima and Suoh shared a look with each other.

"All we have to do is stand by the stroller, right?" Suoh asked hesitantly, praying that nothing else would happen.

"Yes," Kirishima answered looking just as uncomfortable.

Out of the blue the baby started wailing and the two burly men kept looking between each other and the stroller expectantly.

"Asami-chan is crying, shouldn't you try to hold her?" Suoh asked his partner, looking around nervously at the few mothers and fathers close enough to notice them. Most parents moved away with their kids, wary of two overgrown, suit clad men fishing around a baby stroller.

Kirishima sighed. As much as he would have preferred not to, he knew he had more finesse than his partner to pull it off. Grabbing the baby blanket Takaba left hanging from the back of the stroller, he threw it over his shoulder before carefully picking the baby up and resting her over said shoulder.

"Shhh," Suoh murmured softly. Their boss and Akihito made it look so easy. The baby kept on crying.

"Hey, people are starting to stare, what do we do?" Suoh asked.

Kirishima looked around and sure enough, people, including children, were openly staring.

"A bottle, she must be hungry," Kirishima told Suoh.

Suoh looked in the stroller, it was empty. "Where is it?"

"In the pocket under the seat."

"Haha," Suoh muttered triumphantly when he found the mixed formula.

"Ok, we need to sit."

Both men looked around until they saw an empty bench a few feet away. Kirishima went to sit while Suoh pushed the stroller behind him, following close behind.

"Ok, I need you to find an umbrella," Kirishima instructed after sitting down.

"Why?" Suoh asked skeptically. He imagined they already looked like the weirdest couple with a baby around. Everyone else gave them a wide berth.

"Can't let the sun burn her face while we feed her, can we?" Kirishima said after setting little Asami-chan into the proper feeding hold. She was still crying, little hands and feet kicking up a fuss.

"Oh, but Takaba-san never needed an umbrella before..." Suoh murmured while he drew the umbrella from the side bag.

"Takaba-san knows what he's doing, we don't."

Suoh sighed. But he took the umbrella and opened it, blocking Kirishima and the baby from the warm evening sun while she was fed. She sucked from the bottle greedily and Suoh had to admit, Kirishima knew his stuff. Little Asami-chan was content in his arms and his partner didn't seem the least bit perturbed like he knew he would have been. He realized some people were pointing and laughing at them. He conceded he would have done the same thing if he was on the other side of the fence.

What must they look like to everybody else right now? One man in black feeding a newborn with another holding an umbrella over their heads.

At least nobody called the park security.

At the end of the feeding she was halfway to dream land and Suoh watched as Kirishima threw her over his shoulder again and burped her. He snickered when he realized the burp produced enough spit up for it flow off the blanket and on to his partner's jacket.

"That's not funny," Kirishima frowned. "Next time you do it."

"Are you crazy?!" Suoh asked softly, not wanting to wake the baby.

"Yes, I am," Kirishima answered before gently lying the little girl on her back. He drew the blanket over her and lowered the stroller shading.

Suoh returned the umbrella to its original place.

They both straightened and then Takaba jogged over. "Hey, I'm back. Sorry for taking so long, I had left over spicy chicken for lunch, you know how that goes."

Takaba was zipping up his jacket and the two men chuckled.

"She wasn't a problem, was she?" Akihito asked, looking over into the stroller curiously at his daughter's sleeping face.

"No, no, she wasn't," both men answered in variable tones.

Akihito just looked at them and smiled. "Good. I'm ready to go home, I need a shower."


End file.
